Things Change
by Debbie the Fabulous
Summary: ON HIATUS. Previously "Soul's Medley." AU. Jounouchi Katsuya has been wronged all his life, and with the coming of his new friends comes the rise of new feelings and thoughts. Who helps him heal, overcome his past, and changes him for the better... and who does he change along the way? T for language and safety.
1. Runaway Love

**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN _Yu-Gi-Oh!_, its characters, plots, or anything even remotely associated with it.**

This is my first [legit] multi-chapter story, so criticism is very much appreciated.

I go back and forth editing for at least a day before I post any given chapter, but I'm not perfect. Sometimes I miss little things, sometimes I miss little things bigger than little things :P

If you see anything weird (besides my characterization, which I'm hoping will become more apparent as the story progresses since I know we all see things differently), please don't hesitate to tell me. I do the best I can, but I can raise the bar if I know what to raise it by.

Enjoy~

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**Runaway Love**

Nothing was worse for Jounouchi Katsuya than waking up in the dead hours of the dark to the sound of his drunken father crashing through the small apartment they shared.

Whenever it happened—which was quite often—he had two options: He could sneak out the fire escape with his stuff and come back the next day, or he could squeeze his eyes shut, pull his dingy blue blanket over his head, and hope the man would forget he ever had a son.

Sometimes it worked and Katsuya would be free of bruises until he slipped up and forgot to do something... but this was not one of those times.

Seeing as the blonde hadn't actually heard his father this time until he burst through the door, he had no time for the former and had to settle for the latter.

The intoxicated, balding man with the evident beer belly thundered through the narrow halls and straight to the blonde boy's room, mumbling something about a "good fer nothin' hag."

He forced the door open, making it slam against the wall and causing the teen to flinch; even though he knew what was coming, he couldn't stop himself from remembering the pain from previous beatings.

"Getcher ass up, boy! I left wit' the _es-peck-tay-shun_," he slurred, waving the half-empty bottle in his hand, "dat dis place would be spotless when I came back!" He sniffed heavily and squinted at the shaking boy curled up on the pile of old blankets serving as his bed "'Da fuck is wrong witchu? I ain't raise no pansy! Getcher ass up, I said, and clean the damn place!"

"I..." Katsuya began, slowly pulling himself up as he avoided his father's surprisingly steady gaze.

"You what?" he snapped when the boy didn't continue.

"I did... clean..." Katsuya negated meekly, drawing back when his father took a step forward.

A long silence followed this statement, so when a cold, hollow laugh finally filled the room, the blonde boy was quite startled.

"You call dat clean?" the man sneered, jamming his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the apartment. "I came in and dis place was a mess! I'm goin' ta sleep, and if dis place ain't sparklin', you're in fer it!" he threatened, throwing the bottle across the cramped room, inches from where Katsuya sat wide-eyed. "And you can start by pickin' up dat glass!" he snorted, already in the hall and stumbling to his own room.

Katsuya sat still a moment, happy he didn't get a beating but hopeless as he thought about how impossible it was to please the man he called his father.

A heavy sigh fell from his lips and he picked up the shards of glass carefully, eyes burning with unshed tears; every fiber of his being screamed at him, telling him to leave, but he couldn't.

He wouldn't.

Despite all he had been put through, despite all of the contempt he held for the man, despite how much he hated his life, he couldn't; he may not have had a lot, but he could still lose what he had, and there was nothing to gain from running, so he would stay.

"And he's still my dad..." he trailed. "Nothing's gonna change that. He's still my dad," he repeated, moving to pick up the glass. "Family is family," he said quietly.

"Family is family..."

* * *

If you didn't like it, that's fine and I can't make you read the next chapter, but again, if you saw any mistakes, don't hesitate to point them out. Staring at words—whether on paper or screen—all day can really mess with this girl's editing abilities.

Stay Fabulous~! :D


	2. Trust Issues

**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN _Yu-Gi-Oh!_, its characters, plots, or anything even remotely associated with it.**

Not much to put here, so

Enjoy~

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**Trust Issues**

A first day at a new school made a close second on Katsuya's "Things to Worry About" list; friends weren't easy to come by for him, and he had quite a bit of trouble keeping out of trouble, which was why he kept moving schools in the first place, despite the price.

He didn't know until recently how they could afford it with his dad's ever-growing debt, and though he didn't want it to happen, he and another had gotten sucked into it.

At present, blonde was just weaving through the steady trickle of early-rising students and wandering the grounds, familiarizing himself with the layout of the school and looking for his classroom when a vertically challenged boy ran past him, colliding with his side and sending him a nearby tree in the courtyard and roughly reminding him of his early morning beating with a hiss that he was only just barely able to quiet.

The boy took no notice of this and immediately took a large step back and apologized with a low bow, and Katsuya could swear he was shaking.

"Gomen nasai!" the boy cried, who, upon closer inspection, was quite the spectacle indeed; he was short enough to pass himself off as an elementary student, with the innocent features to boot. His hair was quite questionable, too; Japan was known for its control over its students, but this boy's hair was a... five, six, _seven_ point star? What? And with magenta highlighting the edges, and blonde bangs! Was he daring, or what?

"It's fine," Katsuya mumbled, straightening out his jacket.

"It'll never happen again, I pro–"

Katsuya gave a small laugh and repeated, "'s fine." As an afterthought, he added, "But why aren't you watchin' where you're goin'? No offense, but you look like the kind o' guy to get picked on."

The boy gave a nervous chuckle and replied, looking over his shoulder and back to the blonde, "Yeah... I was just running, actually. You see, I–"

"Yuugi-kun," a voice boomed from the other end of the courtyard, causing the boy in question to flinch. "Why are you running?"

"...was running from that?" Katsuya finished, looking down at the boy—_Yuugi_, Katsuya corrected—who had just turned around to find his attacker leering down at him with a devilish grin.

Yuugi gave a slight nod and Katsuya could feel the fear emanating from him.

The blonde pushed the boy behind him—much to the his chagrin—and stood his ground as his new foe stormed up to him, effectively clearing the courtyard of most of the students in the process.

"Oi," came the annoyed response to these actions. "Just who do you think you are? Stay out of business that isn't yours!"

Katsuya looked up at the teen towering over him and smiled, much to the bully's surprise.

"Just who do you think _you_ are, picking on people who don't have any business with you?"

The teen smiled and let out a crude laugh, scaring off whatever students had stayed to watch what would have promised to be an interesting fight.

"You're new here, then," he stated. It wasn't a question; no one stood up to him, no matter how self-assured or strong.

"And what if I am?"

The teen looked down at him in shock; that was twice, now.

"If you are," he drawled, taking another step forward, closing the distance between them and picking up the blonde, "then you won't be for long."

Jounouchi Katsuya gulped and looked up at the teen, feeling an awful lot now like he did when he faced his father just that morning; vulnerable, helpless...

Normally, he would have no problem giving this guy what he deserved, but he didn't realize just how shaken he still was by his early beating. He knew there were already quite a few bruises, and they definitely wouldn't be going away any time soon.

He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts and steeled himself for a blow, but none came as a teacher rounded the corner.

"Ushio! What do you think you're doing? You just came back and you're trying to get expelled again?"

"Huh?"

Ushio dropped the pale new kid and stood at attention as the teacher ran up to him, wagging his finger in a scolding fashion and going on about punishments tailored just for him.

Katsuya lay perfectly still on the floor for a few moments, completely unaware of the vertically challenged boy's presence at his side until he gave his shoulder a light nudge and uttered a quiet, "Are you okay?"

The blonde's amber eyes snapped open and he bolted upright.

"Yuugi?" the taller inquired tentatively.

"Hai!" he replied, straightening his back and beaming at the acknowledgment.

"W... why didn't you leave? I cut in so you could run," he stated dully, confused.

"I couldn't leave you," the boy stated simply, tone serious.

"Sure you could!" the blonde negated. "You should have! That's why I stepped in; so you could run!" he repeated.

"But if I ran... then who would help you?" the smaller asked, looking at the blonde before him with innocent violet eyes.

"I... huh?"

_Is he serious? I could probably hold up against that guy if I hadn't..._ Katsuya shook his head again and frowned, continuing his train of thought. _If I could only get out of it today by a teacher, then what makes this kid think he can do it when he's not even half his size?_

Yuugi, unsure what to do with the boy clearly unaware of everything but whatever was on his own mind, tapped the blonde's shoulder lightly to gain his attention.

He turned, amber eyes a little unfocused but otherwise aware and lit up with recognition.

"Oh! Sorry," he said with a small, nervous chuckle. "Just, uh... thinkin'."

Yuugi smiled and stood, reaching down to help the strange new kid.

He kindly refused and pushed himself up with a small grunt, then looked down at the smaller teen with an awkward smile.

A long silence stretched between the two as they roamed the grounds aimlessly, Katsuya not knowing where to go and Yuugi not know what to say.

"I'm uh... I'm Jounouchi Katsuya," the blonde said finally after about five minutes, looking down at his shoes.

"Huh? Oh!" Yuugi responded, at first not knowing who had spoken. "I'm Mutou Yuugi! Do you... know where your first class is?"

"No... I was looking for it before... you know."

"Ah."

"But that's okay! It wasn't your fault and it wasn't mine. What was his name? Ushio?"

"Hai. He says he protects people, but when he does, he wants something in return... we come into contact a lot," Yuugi admitted quietly, looking down at his shoes.

Another silence followed and Yuugi stopped, remembering something.

"Where is your class?"

"Huh? Oh," Katsuya murmured, looking down at his hand. "291," he stated flatly.

The shorter let out a gasp and beamed.

"That's my room!" he exclaimed. "You'll love our class, I promise! It has so many nice people! Mazaki-chan and Honda-kun are very great people, and Bakura-kun, Miho-chan and Otogi-kun," he trailed, making Katsuya wonder if it was because they were too great for words or because he couldn't think of anything all that great at all about them.

"So... What about the teachers?" Katsuya wondered idly, letting the small teen lead him through the steady stream of students. "What are they like?"

"The teachers are great, too, but be good when Chono-sensei comes in, because she doesn't like foolish people," he stated, giving a curt nod before practically skipping forward to a door on the left. "Ta-da~! Our classroom!" he exclaimed, beaming.

Katsuya gave a weary smile and nodded, following the small teen into what he hoped would be his last homeroom for the rest of his school life.

**XxXxXxXxX**

At the end of his first day, Katsuya felt something he hadn't felt in a long time; welcome... for the most part.

He had nothing positive to say for either Miho or Ryuji, but he also had nothing negative, which was a good sign to the say the least. Ryou was nice, if not quiet, but he and the initial Yuugi-tachi had hit it off right away, he the playful child and Anzu the concerned-but-otherwise-happy mother, Hiroto the brother he always wanted, and Yuugi... just being Yuugi. All in all, they were nice people, just as Yuugi had said.

The blonde trusted them, fully and completely, and he had a strong feeling that he wouldn't just be thrown aside by these people if he did something wrong, and he liked it; it made him feel... special.

The only low points in his day were his run-ins with Ushio and that other kid... _What was his name?_ Katsuya wondered idly, watching with slight amusement as Honda teased Yuugi for being so shy around the mother hen they had already taken home. _Kaiba! That's it._ _Kaiba Seto._

As soon as the brunette walked through the door, it was like the room was made of ice. The teen was clearly a "no nonsense" person like that beautifully ugly Chono-sensei. He was cold and unfeeling, but Katsuya was too happy about a "successful" day of not getting killed and actually making friends to notice the quick change in demeanor of the students and how still everything became. When Katsuya went up to him in an attempt to make another friend, he was brushed off.

And not just by a quiet, "I don't need your friendship," or something similar, but by a harsh, echoing, "Who do you think you are? Get away from me, before you regret it."

…

Not really, but that's what he read into that single icy glare.

_What is his problem?_

"Jounouchi-kun!" Yuugi called out for the umpteenth time, finally just turning around to stop the blonde in his tracks.

It didn't work, and so Honda grabbed his arm so Katsuya wouldn't knock the poor little teen down, making him hiss in pain.

The brunette let go immediately, but of course both of the other parties stopped, unsure what was wrong.

Katsuya gave a weak smile and a shrug, but he panicked in his explanation; "My arm is... sore," he lied, laughing nervously.

"Jounouchi-kun," the shorter student said, voice wavering ever so slightly, "...what's wrong?"

Amber eyes met violet and Katsuya was captivated; how could anyone so easily wear their heart on their sleeve like this boy? It almost hurt him to lie.

_Almost._

"I'm fine," he fibbed again, this time looking down at his arm and rubbing it as if it really was sore. "I went to the gym yesterday. I... pushed myself a little too much, I guess."

He looked up at Honda, who, while not satisfied with the answer, accepted it, then down at Yuugi, who simply gave him another concerned look and turned the corner to his house—_A game shop? Cool_—with a quiet, "Jounouchi-kun... is my friend. I don't want to see him hurt."

He and Honda walked in silence for a few more minutes before Honda, too, turned down another street and Katsuya was left alone.

_So maybe I don't trust them as much as I thought_, he concluded, looking out at the barren street and reflecting on Yuugi's words.

* * *

I've been a little stiff with these notes, haven't I?

I would say that it's just my awkwardness, but I think it's just that I worry about the impression I set on people.

…

Which may actually be why I'm awkward.

…

Interesting.

Stay Fabulous~! :D


	3. Not So Subtle Subtleties

**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN _Yu-Gi-Oh!_, its characters, plots, or anything even remotely associated with it.**

This one chapter was originally two separate, so the flow is weird for me, but maybe not for you guys.

Enjoy~!

* * *

**Not So Subtle Subtleties**

Sitting at a desk all day every day was tedious, but he knew it was for the best; if he didn't work for their life, then who would?

He had vowed to himself the day they were sent to the orphanage that he would protect his only brother and family, and if doing that meant working long hours over idiots and having no social life—which he didn't really mind anyways because of the idiots in society—then so be it, he reasoned, giving a half-hearted shrug whenever the thought came to mind.

Kaiba Seto rose from his chair and grabbed his famed silver briefcase with a flourish then strode out of his unnecessarily-large office in a single, fluid movement with unparalleled grace, immediately catching the attention of his secretary who phoned down and asked that his ride be ready by the time he hit the ground floor.

When she put down the phone, she just barely caught Kaiba's cold blue eyes from where he stood in the elevator and gave a curt nod, signaling that she had done her job and anything after wasn't her fault.

He didn't even grace her nod with so much as a blink as the doors closed and he was left to his own devices for the next thirty seconds.

A heavy sigh fell from the brunette's lips and he couldn't help but wonder what had him so on edge lately.

Was it his latest project?

No; everything was running smoothly. No snags and it was actually getting done a lot faster than he originally expected.

He thought back to school; could it be something there?

No; he didn't even have to show up to pass, and there wasn't anything needed of him there.

So what was it?

Another sigh passed his lips as he strode through the double glass doors being held open especially for him and into the black limo already waiting at the curb.

"Where to, Kaiba-sama?" his chauffeur, a pale young man—_Mid-twenties, I believe_, the CEO thought idly—with dark, chocolate eyes and dark brown—_Almost black, actually_...—hair asked, glancing at him through the rear-view mirror with a smirk; he already knew the teen would ask to be taken straight home, but he still asked if only to see when he would tire of it.

"Kenji," he warned. "I don't have the patience today. Take me home."

There was a slight pause in conversation before the man named Kenji spoke; "It would seem those silly American customs have finally reached your ears," he said with a small laugh, earning a slightly annoyed glare from the brunette.

The man simply nodded and payed the teen no more mind as he wove his way in and out of traffic as the boy in question thought over his own statement; he did have the patience... at least, for the chauffeur, he did; the nonchalant man was always more than willing to listen to his rants about idiots, and when he and Mokuba came to a misunderstanding about anything—_Something that's been happening a lot recently_, Kaiba noted grimly—he was there to listen and offer advice.

But what had he done for the valued man in return?

Kaiba knew little more than the man's name: Tanaka Kenji. He had never bothered to ask the easy-going man about his own life, never said they were anything more than driver and passenger, even though he did feel a strange attachment to the man that he didn't feel to most people.

Like a friend...

A wave of guilt washed over the CEO and he tried to catch the man's attention with "subtle" noises. After a few minutes of being ignored, Kaiba briefly wondered if Tanaka was hard of hearing from all of his yelling when he ranted, but was proven wrong when his chauffeur couldn't hold in his laughter at the almost inhuman coughing sounds his boss was trying to make and finally looked in the rear-view mirror to laugh.

"Frog in your throat, Kaiba-sama?" he teased. "You sound like shit."

The teen's initial response was to blanch at his chauffeur's blunt statement, but when he regained his composure, he smirked.

"I was thinking..." he began, not sure how to complete his statement; he'd never been "nice" to his employees—though he was sure not yelling at them was a start—let alone had any conversation at length that didn't revolve around himself or his own "problems." He took a deep breath and began again; "I was wondering what..." He had the man's attention now, so he couldn't stop. "...is there... anything you need?" he finished awkwardly, earning a strange look from the chauffeur.

"Is there anything I... huh?"

The younger of the two groaned in discomfort; it was so awkward being at a loss and fumbling for words when he always had so much control! What was _wrong_ with him?

"There's a lot I need," Kenji confessed with a sigh and a sad smile, catching the CEO's attention.

They stopped at a red light for the first time since the drive started and who should be across the street?

_Ugh. Yuugi-tachi_, the CEO thought with a small gag.

His chauffeur caught the childish action and smirked through the mirror at the boy watching something else. Curious, he let his auburn gaze follow the sapphire one to the small group of friends leaving the Burger World on the other side of the street.

"But... right now, I need you to stop being so uptight," he replied, soft concern lacing his voice. The teen looked up to meet the warm brown eyes addressing him, listening. "Live a little; just be a kid every once in a while. It couldn't hurt you to relax—you're what, like seventeen? You're already the CEO of the biggest, best gaming company in the world and a multi-however-many-an-aire," Kenji teased, a smile touching his lips as the CEO smirked in amusement, "so just be normal for once," he chided playfully.

The CEO had indeed been keeping eye contact with the man through the mirror throughout his reproach, but when said man was done, Seto let his icy blue gaze trail back over to the ragtag group and he looked over each one.

The brunette didn't notice the chauffeur's gaze following his own, so he couldn't have known about the curious expression on his chauffeur's face when the CEO's gaze lingered on one boy in particular.

Kenji moved to see the boy better himself, but there was nothing particularly outstanding about him.

"Friend of yours?" the man named Kenji wondered aloud.

"As if," Kaiba muttered, sitting back in his seat. "New kid. Came about a month ago and came up to me, wanting to be my friend," he explained simply, smirking at the memory. He slid his gaze back to the group as red turned to green and stole one last fleeting glimpse of the group.

They were... _happy_.

Why was that?

He was sure that there was a reason for them to be so happy, but he couldn't figure it out.

Even the mutt, as he had dubbed the blonde for his rough-around-the-edges appearance and canine-like traits—_Like his ability to "sniff out" trouble_—was content... at least, to the unobservant eye, Kaiba noted; in that last glance as they drove away, Jounouchi Katsuya had turned away from his friends with faux anger because he was being teased, and, sure that they couldn't see his face, let his smile fade.

Jounouchi looked up and saw the limo. He opened his mouth just the slightest, as if to call out, but quickly closed it.

In that time, Kaiba Seto had seen something in those amber eyes, but inexperienced as he was with emotions, couldn't place it.

The farther they got from the gang, the less he thought about it.

**XxXxXxXxX**

Once home, he was surprised to find that no eager younger brother was waiting at the door to hug him with a cheerful, "Nii-sama!" and take his briefcase for him.

The brunette turned to his chauffeur, who was holding a small sheet of paper in his hand. He looked up, shrugged and said, "He went out with some friends."

Kaiba's eyes widened a fraction and he made to object, but the man offered an explanation before the CEO could say anything; "He has that American guard, Deborah, with him playing chauffeur," he revealed. "She blends in easily with crowds and she's very capable," he assured with a smirk. "Trust me."

The CEO still looked unhappy about it, but relented and sighed.

"Where is he?"

Tanaka shrugged and offered a sheepish smile as an apology; "Dunno. Doesn't say," he said. Seeing his boss' face scrunch up in annoyance, he added, "Knowing Mokie, he's probably just at the arcade."

The CEO snorted and replied, "It would seem those silly American customs have finally reached your ears, Tanaka-kun."

He looked up at the honorific put at the end of his name, confused, but let a small, sad smile slide onto his lips.

"I don't think you noticed, but I've used them long before now," he said quietly.

The CEO was very observant; he could see the pain in the normally warm chocolate eyes, and he could hear the sadness in the usually carefree voice. He knew his chauffeur was sad about something in the past, and sharp as he was, knew it had to do with an American.

Quite possibly the American in his house.

He knew, but said nothing about it, not wanting to see someone he recognized as a friend in unneeded pain.

"If he's at the arcade," the brunette began instead, steadily watching the man across from him, "he's probably paying for everyone in his grade."

They shared a small laugh, knowing very well it was something the trusting young boy might do before Kaiba looked back to the man with a curious gaze. Said man nodded to the silent question and Kaiba gave a small smile.

"Thanks. I kinda regret not getting him a phone now, but I know he'll just lose it," the brunette said with a smirk. "We'll check his usual hangouts, I guess," he said with a shrug and a small sigh as Tanaka nodded with amusement at the truth behind the previous statement.

They strode back down to the limo to attempt to find the young Kaiba in silence.

**XxXxXxXxX**

Ten ice-cream shops, three fast-food joints, and six arcades later, Kenji pulled up to the Kame Game Shop on Kaiba's request.

"This it?"

"Yeah."

_I don't want him to be here, but it's the only other place he can be_, Seto thought with a sigh, not waiting for Kenji to come out and open his door.

He strolled through the double doors with Kenji in tow and sighed again; there was his brother, dueling with Yuugi over the service counter.

Everyone was there, it seemed; Anzu, Miho, and the old man were at Yuugi's side, watching the duel, Otogi and Honda were stuffing their faces, Bakura was reading behind the counter, that "capable American" was filing her nails, and Katsuya... where _was_ Katsuya? He was usually inseparable from his group, and Kaiba had seen him not long before with them.

_No matter_, he thought idly, giving his head a small shake to rid himself of the thought.

"Mokuba," he called, catching everyone's attention.

"Seto," the American greeted dully, not even looking up.

He didn't like that.

He didn't like being ignored, especially by an American.

He gave her a once-over and frowned; who did she think she was? She wasn't anything special; she was just a pale stick with black-as-night hair and emerald eyes, and there was nothing about her that let her speak to him like she knew him.

"I tried to call but your secretary is an idiot and said you don't take calls from fan girls."

Kaiba didn't like the casual use of his first name, but let it slide—she _was_ American, after all, and he figured if she couldn't have home, she could have something to remind her of it—smirked and answered, "I don't." He stopped for a fraction of a second, debating something in his head, before he strode up to her and held out his hand. "Give me your phone."

She did and watched as he added his own number to her contact list.

"Use. For. Emergencies," he stated simply, dumping the beaten phone back in her hand and looking over to his brother. "Come on."

"But Nii-sama!" the boy whined, looking between his hand and his older brother.

"Get up, Mokuba," Deborah ordered sternly, surprising the CEO; not many people dared talk to a Kaiba like that, even if it was only Mokuba. She looked to Yuugi, not waiting for a response from the raven-haired boy previously addressed and asked, "Where's Katsuya? He's usually here by now, isn't he?"

Yuugi's bright eyes turned dark and he gave a sullen nod.

"Yeah. He was with us before, but he left. He said he'd come back later, but we haven't heard anything from him. He usually calls if he changes plans."

The girl frowned and narrowed her eyes.

"Nothing at all?" she inquired incredulously.

"No," Anzu filled, concern now edging into her voice.

Kaiba watched the exchange with extreme interest; how did this girl know the mutt? And why did she care, and where was she taking this conversation?

"Do you know where he lives," she stated flatly, clearly getting frustrated.

All was silent and no one answered for a few moments, but just as she turned to leave, Honda spoke up.

"I do."

Silence.

"Take Seto and Mokie home, Kenji," she ordered, not looking back.

The CEO still didn't particularly like being called by his first name, and he hated that it wasn't even him she was addressing, but he let it slide; she _was_ American, after all, he reasoned once more.

"Take me to his place, Hiroto," she said, moving to leave out the back door.

Honda nodded even though he knew she didn't see and followed her, leaving everyone else confused.

"I hope he's okay," Yuugi whispered, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room.

No one—not even the CEO himself—noticed the slight nod of agreement he gave as he turned and motioned for his brother and chauffeur to follow.

**XxXxXxXxX**

"I'm sure he's fine," Honda said finally, after running through the streets for so long. "Why are you so worried?" the brunette asked, looking over his shoulder at the silent girl.

"Because," the raven-haired girl snapped. "Pick up the pace. I'd like to find him this century."

Honda gave a curt nod and did as he was told.

After a few more minutes of silence, he asked, "What do you know?"

"Things you don't," she replied, looking ahead with determination flaring in her emerald eyes.

**XxXxXxXxX**

Kaiba Mokuba would not go to sleep until his Deborah came back safe and happy—something that frustrated his older brother to no end.

"Mokuba," he warned, "you need to go to sleep. I know you're worried, but she's fine," the older Kaiba assured from his place in front of his standing mirror, buttoning up his black silk pajama top.

Mokuba stuck his tongue out to the mirror before letting himself fall back on his brother's bed with a heavy sigh.

"It's not just Debbie I'm worried about," the young boy confessed, losing all of his childish antics. "She seemed so worried—so sure something was wrong. What if Jounouchi-kun is hurt?"

The elder Kaiba rolled his eyes with a scoff.

"That mu–" he began but stopped; he didn't want his brother picking up any bad habits. "Jou can take care of himself."

Mokuba sat up and shook his head, negating flatly, "If Debbie-chan is worried, then I don't think he can, Nii-sama."

The older Kaiba let his lips twitch up in amusement as he went and sat next to his sibling.

"Mokuba. Three things. One: be respectful if you must call her. You don't know her and she's hardly considered a girl, as far as I can tell," he smirked, ignoring the glare his younger brother shot him and continuing, "One only applies, though, assuming she's not a foreigner, which she is, so two: just call her by her given name. And three: Jounouchi is fine. It's only been a month, but from what I've heard, he's been in quite a few fights and has come out victorious each time, so stop worrying and go to bed."

The raven-haired boy shook his head and poked his brother's arm dejectedly a few times as he mulled it over before he finally relented.

"Fine, but don't think I won't say 'I told you so' when we next see Jounouchi-kun," he replied coldly, sliding off the bed and leaving his brother alone.

**XxXxXxXxX**

The one place that any kid could turn to and not worry about anything was the one place that he couldn't... but here he was.

He slid the key into the lock and turned slowly, hesitant to officially return once more.

He opened the door and was only half-surprised to find it was pitch black.

He took a step forward, closed the door, and raised his hand to discover that it was indeed so dark that he couldn't even see a centimeter in front of his face in the darkness of his own home—_How ironic_, he thought bitterly, _that the one place that is described in every cheesy kids' book as "full of light" is filled with darkness._

He had on his best poker face lest anyone see him, but internally, he was teetering on the razor-thin line between sweet relief and pure fear.

He reached out and laid his hand on the wall, looking for the light switch and flipping it up upon finding it.

And he screamed.

**XxXxXxXxX**

"Did you hear that?" Honda Hiroto asked, stopping so suddenly that the girl following him ran into him.

"Damn right I heard it! Where the hell is his place?" she growled, shoving him into the nearest building. "You're not getting just how fucking important it is that we get to him _now_!" she raged, letting him go and clenching her fists as she let out a long, pent-up breath.

Honda took a step back, not willing to go near the girl, and dusted himself off shakily as he continued on around the corner, calling, "Come on, then!" over his shoulder as he ran.

As it turned out, they were already in Katsuya's apartment complex; they were just on the end farthest from his building.

It was surprising they had even heard the scream in the first place, but that only served to pump their legs faster and they streaked across the parking lots in seconds, only stopping after a large crash was heard somewhere above them.

"Up there," the brunette panted lightly, pointing up to the third floor through the open staircase. "Last door."

She nodded and stormed up the stairs, dropping something but not stopping to pick it up as another cry echoed through the thin plaster walls and down the concrete stairwell.

She ran into the door full force expecting it to be locked, but it fell under her weight easily and she stumbled inside.

The man dropped the boy and looked up to find the intruder, grinning wickedly when he found the girl lying dazed on top of the now-broken door.

"Back again, I see," he sneered, stepping over the broken teen on the floor and over to his new prey. "I was pretty mad when you left last time," he said sweetly, bending over and picking the girl's head up by her hair, "but I still have my other outlet," he chuckled, reaching out and taking her chin in his thumb and forefinger to make her look over to Katsuya.

It took a minute for her to focus her eyes, but she growled when she could finally see; Jounouchi Katsuya lay in the middle of the floor, coughing and rasping as he struggled for air. His hair was tinted orange at the tips and splayed around his bloody, bruised face like a fan. His right arm was lifeless and bent at an odd angle in front of him and he lay on his left, bringing it up to his chest as if to squeeze his own pain away.

He opened his eyes for a second and found the girl's gaze, and smiled.

"Hey," he whispered, gaining his father's attention. "Why are you–"

"Shut the fuck up!" the man screeched, yanking up the girl by her hair as he stood, making her hiss in pain. "I'm askin' the questions!" he said to no one in particular. He turned his eyes to the girl and sneered, "Why _are_ you here?"

She looked up at him and shook her head in disappointment; "Maybe you really don't get it, or maybe you just don't want to face the facts," she said quietly, "but that boy you beat around is very loved—more than you or your stupid ex-wife could possibly understand. Shizuka loves him to death, and I love him with my heart and soul... even if Shizuka can't be here, _I'll_ be here whenever he needs me," she stated, looking over to the now-unconscious boy sadly.

The man let her go and she sighed with relief, but then he struck her and left an imprint of his hand on her cheek.

"Stupid woman," he spat. "I knew somethin' was wrong with you the second you stepped through my door, hangin' off my boy's arm like he was yers, but I didn't care what tramps he 'dated,' as long as he didn't bring her problems here." he stated, shaking his head in disappointment. "But you always seemed to pop right in at the most convenient times... I don't know how, since he don't got a phone, but you always came..." He was silent for a minute, looking over the boy once more. "You found me even after we moved again; you were there a month ago... and here you are now..."

More tense silence filled the room before he laughed.

"But you only got me last time 'cause I was drunk! You don't want to know what yer messin' with right now!"

**XxXxXxXxX**

He could hear some of what was going on, but as much as he wanted to help, he was frozen to the spot, confused and hurt; how could Jounouchi not have told them that his father beat him? And who was Shizuka?

He sighed and looked at his shoes, hoping for some sort of answer, but finding a phone.

"Huh...?"

He stepped up to it and picked it up.

"This is..."

He turned the screen on and slid the lock-screen down, thankful there wasn't a code, and found that neither Kaiba nor Deborah had bothered to go back to the home screen.

Was this considered an emergency? He could always just call the police, but then he'd have to answer questions he didn't have the knowledge or capability to answer at the moment... Kaiba could probably track the phone with much more ease, and he'd probably be there faster, too.

There was another blood-curdling scream and he decided he didn't care as he hit the "Call Mobile" button and brought the phone up to his ear, waiting for the CEO to pick up.

**XxXxXxXxX**

He lay in bed, trying desperately not to go to sleep so he wouldn't have to relive the previous night's nightmare when his phone vibrated on his bedside table.

_Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Bzzzt._

He ignored it at first, wondering who the hell was calling him at... he stole a glance at his clock and narrowed his eyes in confusion; eleven?

He sat up with a sigh and glanced at the caller ID.

_Unknown._

He knew it was either a wrong number or Deborah, but he gave his number to the girl not thirty minutes ago. What kind of danger could she possibly be in, and why did she think he would care if Mokuba was in bed, asleep?

He picked up the phone and answered anyways.

"Moshimoshi," he sighed into the phone.

He held the phone away from his ear as the person on the other end nearly screamed.

"Oi, Kaiba! Thank God! We're here at Jou's and–"

"What are you doing with Deborah's phone?" Kaiba interjected coldly, wondering why his employee had left her phone unguarded for use.

He could hear muffled screams on the other end and he briefly wondered what was going on.

_"What the fuck do ya think yer doin'?"_

_"…Shit."_

There was another sequence of muffled sounds before the person that Kaiba had been able to identify as Honda screeched, "Track the phone!" before a long whistle sounded through and a loud _clack_ resounded.

The CEO ended the call in confusion; he didn't know what the hell was going on, and he didn't really want to know... but he knew there was a reason Honda chose to call him and not the police for whatever it was, if it was indeed anything dangerous.

He may not have particularly liked Yuugi-tachi on the outside, but he was human enough to know when to put aside his pride. He slid off the bed and set off, grabbing as many of the guards he could find lazing about as he could.

As he was walking out the door, he took one last look at the house and realized he hadn't bothered getting someone to track the call.

"Kenji!" he called into the house, knowing he was somehow always around a corner.

Sure enough, he appeared from the kitchen, holding a bag of Pocky.

"You once told me you were the pride and glory of your 'Tech Club.' Think fast," he said, tossing it over.

The man caught it with ease and bewilderment.

"Wha–"

"Trace the location of the last caller and send the address to..." he stopped and looked back. "Jiro."

Kenji nodded and made to leave, but something else occurred to the brunette.

"And have the medics on standby."

Another nod before they parted ways.

**XxXxXxXxX**

The phone buzzed and Kaiba reached out to Jiro for the phone.

He glanced at the screen and read the address aloud; "9451 Sunset Boulevard... Jiro, do you know where that is?" he asked, looking up to face him.

The man scrunched his face up as he remembered and he nodded.

"Yeah. It's an old apartment complex on the wrong side of town. How are we supposed to know where these people are?"

"It shouldn't be too hard to find some screaming teens," the CEO mumbled, sitting back and folding his arms, "but text him back and ask him to pinpoint it."

**XxXxXxXxX**

Five minutes later found them at the Sunset Apartments, driving through each parking lot with the windows down just in case there really were screaming teens running about—they didn't expect to find a bloody Honda Hiroto shuffling hesitantly by the stairs, dazed.

Kaiba Seto nearly leapt out the "totally inconspicuous" limousine and to the boy's side.

"I've seen you do some pretty stupid shit, Honda," he said sarcastically, looking over the boy carefully, "but who did you piss off to get yourself like this?"

He looked up and allowed his vision to focus on the newcomer before speaking.

"Shut up, Kaiba," he coughed with a worn smirk. "Don't even try to pretend we're friends. I called 'cause I figured you'd be the first to come."

Honda didn't notice Kaiba's bitter silence in response to his statement.

Kaiba knew he wasn't the friendliest person in the world, but he hadn't done anything to any of the small Mutou's gang to make them believe he wasn't at least tolerant of them. If anything, they were like extended family; every once in a while, they could be seen having a mildly pleasant time doing whatever it was they were doing.

Or maybe this was just the brunette trying to lighten the mood with teasing?

Either way, he didn't really like it.

"I hope you brought your walking hospital, 'cause they're definitely gonna need it," Honda forced out tiredly as the CEO handed him over to Jiro. "Third floor," he breathed, looking up the dark stairway with unease. "Last door."

Kaiba nodded and made his way up, tense; he'd been right about the medics... and worse—Mokuba had been right to warn him.

He could only hope he wasn't too late.

* * *

I'm such a horribly vague person...

. . .

Stay Fabulous~! :D


	4. Too Beautiful

**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN **_**Yu-Gi-Oh!**_**, its characters, plots, or anything even remotely associated with it.**

Enjoy~

* * *

**Too Beautiful**

The door had been bulldozed off it's hinges and lay on the floor, broken and splintered; the walls just inside and in the living room had multiple indents where something—_Roughly the size of a head_, the brunette noted sickly—had been forced into them; the carpets were stained with blood everywhere, and was almost black where Jounouchi and Deborah lay in the middle of the floor.

He couldn't say he wasn't surprised and mean it when he saw them—contrary to common belief, Kaiba Seto was very much human and capable of feeling things like sympathy, fear, and surprise; it just took a lot to get him to. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping he was only having another, more horrific nightmare about being left alone without even his farthest acquaintances, but when he opened his eyes, they were still there.

But people—if not the CEO himself, then the boy's other friends—still needed the blonde, and Kaiba was now positive that the blonde needed his friends... so it couldn't possibly be over for him...

_Could it?_

He heard the wood of the broken door crack and splinter some more as someone else entered.

"What the hell happened here?"

Kaiba turned around and found Jiro.

"Where's Honda?" he asked, bending down to inspect the two people laying on the floor.

"Still waiting on the stairs for the ambulance," came the stiff reply.

Seto poked the girl's shoulder and she moaned pitifully, griping, "Stop that, jerk-wad," as she moved away from his touch and closer to the blonde. "It hurts like hell."

"Be happy it hurts at all," he murmured, a small, grateful smile tugging at the ends of his lips as he moved around the blonde to face her and inspect the two closer. "What happened?"

"Stuff," she sniffed, moving Katsuya's hair from his face and putting him on his back carefully. "Where's your walking hospital, already? Katsuya needs help," she insisted, putting a hand over his nose and mouth; his chest didn't look like it was moving at all, but that wasn't the only way to check for life.

"And you and Honda don't?" Kaiba pointed out, relief flooding through him when he saw the boy twitch.

Her eyes went wide and she straightened herself as much as she could as she asked, "What's wrong with Hiroto?"

"He doesn't look as bad as you two," the brunette replied, motioning with his chin to indicate her and Katsuya, "but he still looks like crap." As an afterthought, he added, "He's the one that called."

She gave a "Hmph" and looked down at at the blonde, wondering what went through his father's mind when he touched the poor boy.

She watched as her cold boss brought the boy into his lap with hesitance evident in his every move; he didn't know they boy well enough to say he was comfortable having him so close, and he didn't want to hurt him.

The brunette stood and narrowed his eyes as he inspected the boy; this must have been going on for a while, so how come he never said anything?

Deborah looked up at the CEO and wondered where the soft side of him had been hidden, and for how long until he finally realized he was being watched and looked down at her, offering an awkward, sheepish smile; "I'd help you up if I could, but I've got my hands full here," he stated apologetically, adjusting the boy in his arms so his arm wouldn't fall.

"That's fine," the girl assured, standing with a quiet grunt. "I'm not too bad. A few bumps and bruises... maybe a few bruised ribs," she said with a wince, bringing her hand to her side, "but he definitely needs more attention than I do right now."

She walked to the door and stepped over it before she froze and bent down, reaching for something.

Kaiba smiled when he realized what it was; her phone.

She picked it up and shook her head at the cracked screen before she sighed and looked back at the CEO.

"My first phone," she stated blandly. "Paid for it myself. Promised myself I wouldn't let it break. And now it's broken," she said with a bitter laugh.

Kaiba shrugged and watched her for a moment longer, making sure she could walk on her own the rest of the way and led the way down the three flights of stairs where KaibaCorp's "walking hospital" was now waiting.

"I didn't even hear them come," Kaiba heard the American whisper from behind him as they made their way to a waiting stretcher. "Did you?"

"No," he stated simply, placing the unconscious teen down carefully. He looked up at the men sliding the stretcher in and ordered, "Take all of them to the mansion's medical ward. I want them all taken out of school on medical leave and on strict 'ward-arrest' until further notice."

The men nodded and as Kaiba turned, Deborah grabbed his arm.

"I told you I'm fine."

"You are not fine," he negated, sliding out of her grip and facing her. "You said so yourself, and I saw the damage in there. I'm not going to believe that that... _man_," he spat, "only knocked Jounouchi-kun into the wall, and you're walking like you're drunk," he pointed out.

She smiled at the use of Katsuya's name and relented, letting him push her into the back of the ambulance; she brought the blonde over a few times to the mansion, but whenever they crossed paths with Kaiba, he called the blonde by derogatory names.

It was nice to know his attitude was changing.

As he turned away, she spoke, something else occurring to her; "In all the two years that I've worked under you, I've never even gotten the chance to be Mokuba's personal body guard, and all I knew about either of you was that you were completely opposite and related..." She paused, then continued, "but what people say about you is wrong. You're not just another heartless, corporate suit... no matter how much you act like it." she smirked.

"I know," he stated simply, not turning back.

"And Kaiba?" she asked, making sure she still had his attention.

Something in her voice made him turn, but he wished he hadn't; "Yeah?"

"Nice pajamas," she commented, pointing down at the black silk with Blue Eyes White Dragons dancing across the hems as the doors closed.

He opened his mouth to say something—_anything_, but he couldn't think of anything.

That Deborah was certainly something else.

**XxXxXxXxX**

Kaiba Seto, the busy man that he was, was unable to check on the teens until well into the next evening.

He visited Honda first, and discovered that most the blood he had been covered in the night before wasn't his, but the mutt's. This, naturally, was bittersweet for the CEO, knowing that one was safe but the other had been so hurt. He asked Honda why he had been so out of it the night before, and was told that he and the elder Jounouchi had gotten into a fist fight, but when he thought he heard sirens, had ran. Hiroto had been on the defensive and was dodging the onslaught, but he had been hit a few times, and his body manipulated, giving him a broken wrist and a sprained ankle.

Kaiba had deemed him well enough to leave with said broken wrist and sprained ankle, and moved on to Deborah.

She—while certainly better off than the blonde—was not in the best condition; she had a slight concussion, and indeed, a few bruised ribs, and a sprained wrist, so Kaiba ordered that she stay in the ward for a few days more and wait until he told her she could get back to work. She rolled her eyes but smiled anyways and waved him out as Honda came in to chat with her.

He left them alone and slowly made his way to Jounouchi's door, but he honestly didn't know why he bothered going in to check; a broken arm, a serious concussion... he didn't have to see the clipboard to know what was on it, and he didn't want to see the boy in all his pain.

But for some reason... he couldn't stop himself from going in to check, anyways.

He turned the knob and slowly pushed the door open, as if the whole building were unstable and would topple over if one didn't take such care in such subtle movements once inside.

He peered inside and was surprised to find that the blonde was not only conscious despite all of his medication, but out of bed, and watched in captivated silence as the boy went up to the mirror, staring at his form but not really seeing it. A frown touched the blonde's lips, and the CEO was truly intrigued as the boy slowly, methodically drew his shirt over his head as if it were a common practice.

The CEO frowned, too, when he saw the vast expanse of bruised, beaten, and scarred skin; it was by far the ugliest rainbow he had ever seen—if not the _only_ ugly rainbow he had ever seen—and he looked away, hoping once more that he was only dreaming. He turned back and found Katsuya's face once more through the cool glass and was almost scared to death by the fact that the blonde was expressionless; there was nothing swimming in the depths of his amber eyes—no pain, no misery, no hate, no hurt... nothing.

The CEO drew back from the door and took a deep breath to calm his nerves, then fully entered as if he were never there.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he voiced coldly, looking down at the blonde with his best poker face.

"You tell me, Kaiba-_sama_," he said flatly, bending down to pick up his shirt, "you saw me just now."

The CEO blanched and narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to speak but Katsuya stopped him; "It's a mirror, Money Bags. It works two ways."

Seto opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it and an awkward silence stretched between the two as Katsuya struggled to put his shirt on without causing himself too much pain.

Not even a minute had passed before Seto had grown tired of the slight hisses of pain and moved to the blonde, gently prying the shirt from his grasp and making him freeze from surprise; "What are you–"

"Arms up," he ordered quietly.

Katsuya was clearly hesitant about letting the older teen so close to him—let alone do something so intimate as put on his shirt for him—but the brunette practically had him cornered and it wouldn't do him any good anyway to show off his scars, so he complied.

"Hold still," the taller of the two ordered quietly, moving closer and carefully pulling the off-white cotton down the smaller's slim arms. As the brunette brought his arms around to pull down the hem so the shirt would fall on its own, his fingers brushed against Katsuya's back and he hissed in pain, leaning away from the touch and into the CEO's chest.

Neither seemed too happy about the arrangement, but Kaiba couldn't just pull himself away for fear of hurting the mutt. He inched away slowly, watching with mild amusement as the blonde blushed madly, mumbling an apology and a quiet "Thank you" for helping him with his shirt; the blonde wasn't used to the kindness shown by the normally stoic CEO; he was used to immature jabs at his appearance and smart remarks about his grades and lack of sense in most situations.

Kaiba didn't notice the unease shown by the boy and gave a curt nod, motioning for the blonde to sit on the bed.

He did so warily, watching the CEO with narrowed eyes through his golden fringe.

"Relax," the blue-eyed beauty said, sitting on the opposite end. "I just want to ask you a few questions."

Katsuya immediately straightened up at this, tilting his head in a curious fashion; "About?" he inquired, sitting cross-legged and watching the CEO for some sort of physical action that might betray his words.

"I think that would be obvious," he murmured, folding his arms across his chest. He looked up and amber clashed coldly with sapphire. "Why didn't you ask for help?"

It was almost a relief to see the pain burst forth in the blonde's amber eyes, but it hurt Seto just as much to see it as it did to see nothing.

Katsuya was silent, and neither moved for a long time.

Just as Seto had decided that it was too soon to ask and made to stand, Katsuya whispered, "Because I knew no one would listen."

Kaiba was taken aback by the raw honesty in the mutt's voice, and was speechless until the blonde made eye contact once more.

"H... how could you think...?" he wondered quietly. "Abuse is not something people just ignore, Katsuya!" he exclaimed as he stood, surprising the blonde; Katsuya had never seen the CEO lose his temper, nor had he ever heard him call him anything other than "Mutt" in the short time he had known him. "You could have gone to anyone—you _should_ have called the authorities!"

Katsuya was silent once more and Seto took the time to regain control over his actions.

He took a deep breath and sat down once more across from the blonde.

"I called them for you," he stated simply, looking over to the blonde for a reaction. When none came, he continued, "and you're not living on your own. You _will_ stay in this house, and you _won't_ go back to your father."

The blonde stood abruptly with a wince and objected, "I don't have to listen to you, Money Bags! That's my dad, and you had no right to call the police!"

The brunette stood as well and looked down on the teen.

Amber clashed once more with sapphire, neither backing down as the taller negated, "I had _every_ right to call the authorities on that man! He was _beating_ you, Katsuya!"

There was his name again...

"He was _beating_ you, and you did absolutely _nothing_ to stop it!" He cried, plowing a pale hand through his chocolate locks as he paced, really losing it. He took another deep breath and faced the blonde; "No one deserves what you got, Katsuya," he stated, trying desperately to make eye contact with the blonde so fiercely avoiding his gaze.

He took the blonde's chin in his hand and forced their eyes to meet.

"No one deserves it," he repeated sincerely, breaking the boy's resolve.

All the pain that was only seconds before swimming at the bottom of honey seas was now spilling over onto creamy cheeks and running down in rivulets onto a ghost-white hand that slowly traveled up and gently wiped the offending waters away.

"He's my dad," Katsuya sniffed, trying so hard not to lean into the gentle touch but also not wanting for the warmth offered to leave. "I can't just leave him...!"

"He needs to straighten himself out before he can even think about raising a child," the taller of the two stated quietly, bringing the shorter into a tight embrace, "because no child should live through their parents' problems. They're too beautiful for it."

Katsuya gave a slight nod and buried himself deeper into the CEO's chest.

Seto smirked to himself and pulled away enough to make his new guest look up at him in confusion.

"What?" the blonde inquired.

"Don't think this means you're not still a mutt," the brunette teased. "I'm still a heartless, corporate suit and you're still from the streets. We're 'friends' as far as my property goes," he stated, cerulean eyes glittering with amusement.

Katsuya gave a slight nod and pushed away the taller teen with a slight blush.

"And you're still Money Bags. Yeah, I know."

They exchanged slight nods of agreement and sat back down to chat about meaningless things and meaningful things alike, completely unaware of the unwanted guest that had heard and seen much of their previous conversation.

But even as observant as the older Kaiba was, there were a few things he overlooked in the conversation and recent happenings.

* * *

Le gasp!

Who be the mysterious mystery shrouded in mysteriousness?

What was overlooked?

Do any of you care?

:P

Stay Fabulous~! :D


	5. Into The Dragon's Den

**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN _Yu-Gi-Oh!_, its characters, plots, or anything even remotely associated with it.**

There is absolutely nothing better than an obsession.

. . .

Enjoy~!

* * *

**Into the Dragon's Den**

When Kaiba had finally left Jounouchi the first night, the blonde had been surprised and a little miffed that he had been told he was to stay in the ward for a week. He found solace in the fact that he'd been told that at the end of the week, the brunette would have decided what to do with him then.

It was the last day of the week now, and it actually wasn't as bad as he had initially thought it would be; Yuugi-tachi had come to visit him every day after school, and stayed until late—much to his caretaker's annoyance—talking and bringing him his work that he couldn't do anyways with his broken arm.

When they had come the first day, Katsuya had tried to tell them about the CEO's tender side, but while they had listened, they didn't believe it.

He had sighed and let the topic drop, content with just having his friends with him.

Today only Yuugi had come, as everyone else was busy with some club meeting.

"Jounouchi-kun," the boy tried again, gently prodding his shoulder. "Jounouchi-kun? What's the matter? You are distant today," he said.

The blonde slowly shifted his gaze over to the small teen and offered an apologetic smile for his mental absence.

"I've just been thinkin', is all," he replied. "I'm fine this time. I promise," he assured with a small smile at seeing the slight distrust in the small boy's violet eyes.

Said boy smiled and prodded, "About what?"

Katsuya was silent for a moment; he knew Yuugi would want to know what was on his mind, but how could he explain it without sounding... awkward?

"Do you remember when I told you about my first day here?" he inquired, figuring the beginning was the only suitable place to start.

Yuugi let out a small chuckle and nodded; "And how Kaiba-kun is nice?" he teased. "Yeah."

"I was just thinking how... out of character it was of him," Katsuya admitted, looking down at his hands folded in his lap. "He is human, despite how much he doesn't act like it," he conceded, "but I didn't think he cared about anyone other than his kid brother."

Yuugi was silent, mulling over the confession as Katsuya twiddled his thumbs slowly, thinking over his first meeting with the CEO in the house for the umpteenth time that day; Kaiba hadn't been entirely cold to him and the rest of his friends before last week, but he was frigid enough to make the blonde think that everything would set him off, so he normally just ignored the older teen. But now here he was, in Kaiba's house, under Kaiba's care, by Kaiba's decision, with Kaiba himself visiting him after everyone else left.

The sudden show of maturity still had the blonde reeling, and he couldn't explain the reasoning for that in the midst of all the other emotions suddenly set off just by being in the situation he was currently in; he had found himself waiting eagerly each day for someone to step through the door even though he swore to himself that he would stay angry at being pulled way from his father, and found himself slightly happier when it was the brunette.

Katsuya had discovered and accepted with dismay that the CEO was cold in the presence of others, try as he may to convince his friends of the caring side of the brunette, they brushed it off as his imagination and a few too many pills.

"What did he say? About... you know," Yuugi said finally, leaning forward.

"That no one deserves it," the blonde replied. "And he called the police on Dad—do you know if they found him yet?"

Yuugi shook his head and Katsuya sighed, looking out the window at the gray skies.

"That's not all," Yuugi prodded again. "That can't be all if you can't move your mind from it."

"You know me so well already," Katsuya said with a laugh. "It's not," he said, and paused until Yuugi motioned for him to continue and he finished, "He... comforted me. He let me cry, and he talked to me..." he admitted softly, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

Yuugi noticed it but assumed that maybe the blonde was getting sick and told him to lay down.

"It's okay to cry, Jounouchi-kun," he assured. "It doesn't matter what shoulder you cry on, but it is odd for Kaiba-kun to allow it."

The older nodded absently and opened his mouth to speak, but the door opened and he turned to find the subject of their conversation looking down at a clipboard, pen in mouth as he adjusted the papers on it.

"Jounouchi-kun," he spoke, not looking up until Yuugi addressed him.

"Hello, Kaiba-kun!" he greeted, catching the brunette's attention quite quickly.

"You're still here, Yuugi? It's late," he stated flatly around the pen still between his teeth, glancing at his watch. "Ten forty."

Yuugi nodded and stood.

"I know. Jounouchi-kun and I were just talking, is all," he replied, looking over to the blonde in question. "Good-bye, Jou-kun," he said fondly, grabbing his bag and heading off. As he passed Kaiba, he whispered, "Thank you for taking such good care of him," throwing the CEO off guard.

He looked to Katsuya for an explanation, but the boy simply shrugged and smiled.

"So what's the verdict?" he inquired, sitting up and watching as the brunette came up and sat in the chair Yuugi had just occupied.

He removed the pen from his mouth and began scrawling on the papers once more as he replied with a smirk, "Welcome home, Mutt."

Katsuya couldn't stop his jaw from dropping at the statement; was he just adopted by this guy not too much older than himself?

"What do you mean?" he stuttered.

The brunette looked up at him and his smirk widened; "I'm may not be old enough, but you've seen some of my staff, haven't you, Mutt?" The ghost of a smile touched his lips at seeing the blonde make a face at the name. "You're seventeen, aren't you?" he paused and looked down at the papers on the clipboard before continuing, "Been living with your dad since you were ten..." He looked up and frowned. "That long?"

Katsuya shrugged and motioned for him to continue.

"Well I'm sure you have some path in life mapped out for yourself, so as long as you don't screw anything up or do something stupid like report yourself as kidnapped, you're in my care until you're on your feet," he stated, unable to keep the humor from his voice, as he scribbled more things on the paper. He paused and added with a smirk, "Longer if you don't get on my nerves."

Katsuya smiled faintly and sighed, causing the brunette to look up at him.

"What's wrong?"

"My head hurts," he replied. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truthful answer to the question. He looked over and commented with a smirk,"Don't tell me those are my medical files. I don't even wanna know how the hell you got a hold of 'em." As an afterthought, he added, "And isn't it illegal to have those? They're not yours..."

The older narrowed his eyes at the obvious attempt to change the topic, but replied anyways, "You know there's nothing that isn't readily available to me for the right incentive," leaning back and folding his arms across his chest.

Katsuya noted that he had completely skipped over the second question, but continued the conversation, finding it pointless to argue with someone with so much authority.

"Well why do ya need 'em?"

"To know your medical history?" the brunette replied, poking fun at the boy's obvious question. "What kind of a question is that?"

"Well... why do you need to know my medical history?" he wondered aloud.

"Because I need to know how close a watch I should keep on you," Kaiba responded simply, turning back to the files.

"And the notes you're making on them?" the blonde inquired, leaning over to see them.

The brunette pulled the clipboard up to obstruct the blonde's view and replied flatly, "Things I may need to know or remember—like how you've been hospitalized six times in the last year, each time without a valid explanation."

He stared at the blonde with slight annoyance. His eyes and tone softened as he asked, "How long has this been going on?"

Again he was silent, but Seto knew to wait this time.

"Long as I can remember..."

The CEO watched as the younger teen twiddled his thumbs in discomfort and shifted every so often.

"You're not telling me the truth," he voiced after a few minutes, sapphire gaze cold and calculating.

The blonde looked up and scoffed.

"Yes I am!"

"About the time, most likely, yes," Kaiba elaborated, thoroughly confusing the blonde, "but not about what else is on your mind."

He reached out and put the clipboard on the end of the bed.

"I know you've been through a lot," he began, pinching the bridge of his nose with a tired sigh, "but you can't just bottle it all up anymore. You have to–"

"I'm not just bottling it up!" the blonde snapped, throwing off the brunette. He realized what he did and apologized, then continued in a softer tone, "I'm not just bottling it up... I never have. I always had somethin' to get rid of my anger, and–"

"There's a difference between pushing it away and getting rid of it, Katsuya," the older interrupted, looking up at him. "You never got rid of it because you had no one to help you relieve it. And either way, it's not about your anger." He paused and let it sink in, then continued, "You've had nightmares, I'm sure. I'm positive you're depressed and don't even know it. You _need_ someone to talk to."

The blonde didn't interrupt as the CEO spoke to him, but he didn't acknowledge he had even heard what was said.

"You're strong, Katsuya. I don't know you, but I know you're strong." He paused again, watching. After a moment of silence, he stood and said, "You're in a better place now, and you need to let go of what happened.

Seto watched him carefully for a moment longer, hoping for some kind of response before he took the clipboard and made for the door.

He stopped as his hand was on the knob and said, "This was the last day of the week, as you know—you're free to explore the mansion, and though I would prefer you didn't, you can leave to a friend's or something. Whatever you do, be in the house before midnight and have someone show you to your new room."

He didn't bother waiting for a response before he swung the door open and left the blonde alone.

**XxXxXxXxX**

He lay still in bed at one in the morning, still unable to go to sleep.

Where was the mutt? Had he even come home? Or was he out in the streets, looking for some place else to stay?

The CEO rolled over and turned on his lamp with every intent to find something to read himself to sleep with when there was a soft knock at the door.

He heaved a heavy sigh as he wondered why Mokuba was still up, but made for the door anyways and was quite surprised to find a weary blonde when he opened it.

"What are you doing here? Your room isn't even on this floor," he pointed out.

The blonde didn't grace the statement with a verbal response, and instead pushed him aside and made straight for the middle of the room, where he turned about, nodding vaguely as he inspected everything from the color scheme to the swirling designs—that he realized with a small smile looked a lot like dragons—carved into the four posts of his bed.

The older of the two watched with a strange mix of amusement and annoyance for a few moments before he spoke; "What are you doing?" he inquired tiredly, folding his arms across his chest. "I thought you would have liked having your room so far from mine," he admitted with a smirk.

The blonde merely shook his head and continued his inspection of the room, thoroughly confusing and irritating the brunette.

"Katsuya," he began, not even sure if the boy in question was listening, "if you're mad at me–"

"I'm not mad," the younger admitted calmly, voice soft and quiet.

The brunette shot him a curious look and sputtered.

"What?"

"I'm not mad at you," the blonde said quietly, turning to face the CEO. "I just didn't wanna hear what I needed to," he admitted, peering up at the taller through his golden fringe. "But I did... and I wanna thank you for makin' me hear it... so... could you..." he paused.

Kaiba motioned for him to continue as he moved to stand next to the teen, but the blonde shook his head.

"It's stupid. Never mind," he said flatly, turning to the door to leave.

Kaiba grabbed his arm and made him freeze.

"You're already here. What is it?"

Katsuya inhaled deeply and let it all out at once, then finished, "Could you help me?"

Seto was stunned into silence by the question; he had honestly expected the blonde to turn to Yuugi... or maybe even Honda—but to _him_?

"I–"

"You don't have to," Katsuya amended swiftly, moving to leave again.

"I will," Seto said slowly, still rather dazed. "Just, uh... right now?" he inquired, remembering the time.

The blonde shrugged, moving away from the CEO to get a closer look at some knick-knacks on his dresser.

"Whenever, really," he replied, picking up a glass figurine of what else but a Blue Eyes White Dragon. "I don't wanna mess up your schedule, an' I know you're really busy an' all, so–"

"I'm pretty sure your mental health is more important than the work I'm already a year ahead in," he interrupted sarcastically, moving to his bed.

"You're a year ahead?" the blonde wondered incredulously, putting the figurine back down and turning to the voice, only slightly surprised to find that the headboard of the overly-large bed was engraved with the initials "S.K." with three Blue Eyes White Dragons curling around them—he'd only known the guy for a little over a month, but he already knew that the dragon was his favorite by the way he used them in every duel he had challenged Yuugi to in the short time frame.

"Of the competition, yeah," he replied with a smirk. "Surprised?"

"A little. You should probably be ten ahead," he teased.

The older frowned, but let the comment drop with a sigh.

An awkward silence stretched between the two, but neither knew how to break it.

They opened their mouths to speak at the same time, but closed them when when they heard a new voice.

"Nii-chan..." the voice whined tiredly, and the two turned to find Mokuba, rubbing his eyes and shuffling his feet as he stood at the door. "I had a nightmare, nii-chan...

Katsuya's eyes softened and a heavy blush dusted the CEO's cheeks at the endearing term.

"Nii-chan?" the blonde teased with a wicked grin, turning to face the older. "Can you help him, too, nii-chan?"

"Shut up, Mutt," he quipped. In a softer tone, he beckoned, "Come here, Mokuba," patting the space next to him.

"What's Jounouchi-kun doing in here?" the raven-haired boy inquired with a yawn.

"Just talkin', kid," the blonde replied. "What's this about a nightmare?" he asked, watching with amusement as the boy struggled to pull himself onto the bed.

Once on, he immediately curled up next to his older brother and yawned, replying quietly, "I dreamt I was alone. No matter where I went, no one was there..."

The two older teens looked down at the boy, frowning; what kid worries about things like that?

"You'll never be alone, Mokuba," Katsuya said, moving to leave. "You've got your brother."

Mokuba turned and shrugged half-heartedly; "I know... but it's still scary thinking about it."

Katsuya nodded slowly, taking it in; it certainly was scary whenever he thought about his own situation—if he dropped dead tomorrow, who would care? Sure he had Shizuka, but she probably wouldn't find out at all if it were up to his parents. And his friends? They'd only known him for a month—they could just as easily stop and say a few words and move on.

His depressing train of thought could have continued on until the early light if a something hadn't poked his back.

Once he had come back to reality, he turned and focused his gaze to find that a smirking Seto was the one who had saved him from a sleepless night. He looked down and found a pen on the floor.

_Jerk._

He shot the older teen a curious look, to which he shook his head, dismissing whatever thought had run through his head and looked down at his now sleeping younger sibling with a tremendous amount of love that could probably only be rivaled by his own mother.

Katsuya nearly died of cuteness overload and wandered off to find someone to show him to his new room.

**XxXxXxXxX**

He'd been wandering the corridors for about ten minutes before he bumped into a shadow in the dark.

"Shit. I'm sorry," he said, squinting to see the person.

"Tanaka Kenji," the man supplied.

"Tanaka Kenji," he affirmed with a nod. "Gomen, Tanaka-san." He paused, and asked, "You wouldn't happen to know where my room is, would you?"

The man tilted his head back and thought about it for a few seconds before he snapped his fingers with a grin.

"You're our new guest, aren't you! What was it...? ...Jounouchi Katsuya, ne?"

"H-hai," he replied with a nervous laugh. "That's me."

"Follow me," he ordered, turning on his heel to lead him through the maze of a mansion.

Silence had stretched so long between the two that Katsuya began to wonder if he wasn't just being led in circles, but he figured that as Kenji had probably lived there longer, he knew where he was going.

"So how's the boss treatin' ya?" he asked suddenly, startling the blonde.

"Uh... well, I guess," he replied slowly, not entirely sure what kind of an answer the man wanted. "He's nicer here than at school, though—I can tell ya that."

"Well I would think so," Kenji laughed. "He feels has an image to uphold, so he doesn't really let people get close to him. You, however," he said, looking over his shoulder, "are an entirely different story all together," making Katsuya tilt his head in a curious fashion. It didn't go unnoticed by the man, who laughed and elaborated, "He has a soft spot for kids that get more than they bargain for. He's just a big teddy bear once you break down his walls—honest!" He paused and quietly added, "Lord knows he was one of those kids."

Katsuya stopped.

"What do you mean?"

Kenji stopped, too, and turned to face the blonde.

"Every celebrity has a sob-story, boy. You haven't heard the boss man's yet?" he asked, incredulous.

The blonde shook his head in the negative, captivated by the knowledgeable man.

He rubbed the back of his neck, debating.

Finally, he sighed and said, "Fine... but you didn't hear it from me."

The blonde nodded slowly, and motioned for the man to keep leading.

He did, talking as he went; "Not many people know, but Mokie and Seto here were orphaned at a really young age—five and eight, I believe, but they could've been a little older or younger—and sent off the local orphanage. Gozaburo stopped by one day and Seto struck him a deal: if he could beat the man in a game of chess, they get adopted.

"Well Boss Man beat the big man, and that's how they wound up here," he explained, looking over at Katsuya to make sure he was following the story.

"But that's not exactly sad..." the blonde trailed.

"Well he did lose his parents," the man negated, "but... that's not all—Gozaburo... he did things. Fucked up Boss Man's brain. Big time."

Katsuya narrowed his eyes, wondering just what...

_Oh_...

"Well that could mess up anyone," he stated, truly sorry for the CEO.

"Hell yeah, it could," Kenji said quietly, shoving his hands in his pockets as he turned his gaze to his shoes as they walked.

After a while, he looked up and found that they had made it to Katsuya's room.

"It's nice havin' someone to talk to, ya know?" Kenji said, motioning for the blonde to enter. "I think you should consider breaking Boss Man out, too. He doesn't give out his life story to just anyone, but I think you can help him just as much as he can you."

Katsuya nodded slowly, taking it all in.

"My ex used to tell me a confidante is a lot like a diary; you can give it all sorts of secrets, but they won't get out, and you won't be judged." He paused, then added, "'Night, Jou," giving a small wave and leaving the blonde to mull over the new information.

* * *

Huzzah for vagueness!

XD

. . .

But seriously, if you're confused, go ahead and ask.

Some things are vague for a reason, but if something that's not meant to be vague is, I don't mind answering the question, and making it known will let me know that I need to make amends.

Stay Fabulous~! :D


	6. Realization

**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN _Yu-Gi-Oh!_, its characters, plots, or anything even remotely associated with it.**

Again... not much to put here...

. . .

Enjoy~

* * *

**Realization**

A few days had passed after Katsuya's first night of freedom within the mansion, and he had already fallen into a semi-regular schedule with the Kaiba brothers quite easily as he tried to leave behind what was; every morning, everyone would go through their own morning routine and meet in the kitchen for a simple breakfast, then part ways for their own day: Mokuba to his school, Debbie to hers, Katsuya to his, and Seto to work or school depending on the day. At the end of the day, Mokuba always came home first and did whatever homework he could until Katsuya and Debbie came home, and they would help him with what he could until Seto came home from work unless he had gone to school that day. They would have dinner at about seven, then lounge about after for a few hours until Mokuba's bedtime, at which point they would all split to their respective rooms.

At the end of the fourth day of Katsuya's freedom, he had been pulled from Debbie's side—their rooms were on the same side of the house—by the older Kaiba and in a familiar, less traveled direction until he realized where he was being dragged, at which point he dug his heels into the carpet and pulled against the CEO's iron grip.

At first his vain attempts of escape had been ignored, but when the brunette grew tired of the resistance, he spun on his heel to look down on the blonde; "You wanted my help, and you're going to get it. Why are you trying so hard to go back on it?" he wondered, unable to keep faint traces of annoyance from reaching his voice.

"Why does it have to be in your room?" the blonde whined, tugging again on his captive wrist.

"Why does it have to be in yours?" the brunette retorted, successfully shutting the blonde up. "Come on, then," he said, less forcefully and gently tugging the boy along as he continued.

Katsuya was silent and compliant the rest of the way through the winding corridors, but once they were inside the room and the CEO had sat down in one of his own chairs, waiting for the blonde to speak first, he went into a silent fit and refused to communicate at all. Seto watched for a few minutes with amusement and confusion; he hadn't asked the blonde to come to him for help, but he had, and now he refused to _be_ helped. When he grew tired of seeing the mutt fume silently, he stood and went to his personal bathroom.

It wasn't until Katsuya had screwed up the courage ten minutes later to scream in Kaiba's face for no reason at all that he realized the brunette wasn't even there, and so he sat on the bed to wait.

He didn't have to wait long before the CEO emerged in a burst of billowing steam, nonchalantly patting his hair with a towel with one hand in his pajama bottoms, top in hand. He looked up and glared at the boy staring blankly at him; "What? You weren't going to talk to me anytime soon," he shrugged, dropping the towel on the chair and pulling on his top. "so I used the time to bathe. Is that so wrong?"

The blonde continued staring, speechless.

"What!" Kaiba snapped. "If anything, I should be mad at you," he huffed, working the buttons with slight agitation; for whatever reason, he could never line them up right and he almost always had to unbutton them and button them again.

This brought Katsuya back to reality, and while he didn't agree with the statement, he let it slide with the shake of his head and smirk; "Fine. What do you suggest we start with, then? I don't know what you want me to confess to, and I don't know what I need help with," the blonde admitted with a frustrated sigh as he fell back on the bed; he didn't want to be there, and he didn't know what the hell was going through his mind when he had asked the CEO for help. Despite all of Seto's kind words and his alleged soft spot, he seemed to still be who he had been, and Katsuya didn't know if the CEO was the best choice for whatever job had to be done.

Katsuya closed his eyes and waited for a response, but hearing none, sat up and looked around.

"Gone again," he muttered dejectedly with a pout.

"What does it take to gain your trust, Mutt?" a mildly annoyed voice wondered aloud from behind him.

Katsuya looked over his shoulder and found Rich Boy laying on his back under the thick cover, absently plucking the loose threads with his right hand and resting his damp head on his left. "You‒"

"Never mind," the brunette interrupted, waving his free hand dismissively. "But you said you didn't know what to confess to, didn't you?" he wondered, plucking the threads again.

"Yeah...?"

"Well I would hope you wouldn't," the CEO stated flatly, lazily dragging his serious gaze to Katsuya's. "You didn't do anything wrong—you know that, right?"

Katsuya swore he could feel the cold sapphire orbs searching his soul for an answer that wouldn't come easily.

"I..." he began, then stopped; what did Kaiba want from him?

Was he even _real_?

What if this was all some sick, twisted fantasy he had conjured up after a particularly brutal beating?

Katsuya shook his head, ridding himself of the thought; there was no way in hell he would ask for the CEO's help in a dream. But then... he'd never ask in real life, either, so... what?

"You didn't do anything wrong," he repeated, and Katsuya realized he had spaced out again. "Your father is–"

"Do you call all dads 'father,' or is it just mine?" Katsuya wondered aloud, freezing Kaiba mid-sentence; no one had interrupted a Kaiba before.

"Just yours," he fibbed with a smirk when he regained his voice. "I have a distinct hatred reserved for parents that can't properly care for their children."

"Ah."

"As I was saying," Kaiba continued, shooting the mutt a glare before he returned to plucking the threads once more, "Your father is the one in the wrong here."

Katsuya didn't move; he didn't agree, but he didn't disagree.

It had taken the CEO a while to realize the mutt had blanked out once more, but when he looked up and found the dead expression that bothered him so much, he quickly turned on his side and stretched out a long arm to brush against him and bring him back to the world of the living. "Mutt," he called softly, tapping the boy's good shoulder. Upon receiving no response, he sat up and moved closer. "Katsuya," he tried, but to no avail; the blonde was long gone.

He didn't see the shattered glass just beneath the vast expanse of creamy flesh, but there was no way he could have since the mutt had yet to give him any sign that he wasn't as forgetful as he let on.

_Does he even care?_

The topic of his father hadn't been approached since his last day in the ward, but even if it wasn't at the forefront of his mind, it was still there.

_And if he does.. is he looking for me?_

He had been so carefree... but when reminded of the reason, all of his troubles came flooding back.

"Mutt," someone called from just behind him.

The voice was muffled and thick to the blonde's ears, but he had definitely heard it. He could've sworn something tapped his shoulder, but he passed it off as his imagination.

"Katsuya," the voice tried again as the surface he rested on shifted.

_Dad?_

"Katsuya," the voice warned. "Cut the crap, Katsuya. I know you can hear me."

_I'm sorry, Dad..._

He finally felt something touch his arm and he flinched away from the touch.

"Stop it!" he seethed, turning to find the cause of the offending gesture. His vision crossed before it refocused and he found a very stunned CEO laying on the bed, reaching out to where the blonde was seconds before. "Stop it..." he whimpered, dropping to his knees. "Just... stop..."

Kaiba was speechless; he didn't know what to make of the reaction, but he knew the blonde couldn't be trusted alone. He was far too shifting, far too unstable to be trusted alone, and he was clearly easily swayed, if the way he had agreed to be counseled and then went back on it was any indication.

_Or maybe he's hiding something_, the CEO pondered. _...but he's already open about his father, so that can't be it... _He narrowed his eyes as he looked the blonde over; he was shaking. _Of course he's afraid of his father. But was it my physical contact or was he thinking back?_

There was a knock at the door and both looked up to find Kenji absently sifting through a stack of envelopes.

When he looked up, he furrowed his brow in confusion and opened his mouth to speak; "I give you your mail every day, Kaiba-sama," he said lightly, trying to break whatever tension was pulling their strings so taught, "and every day you leave it wherever I give it to you."

The CEO offered and apologetic smile and nodded to his dresser; "Leave it."

"Sure," he replied flatly, doing just that as he looked over the boy on his knees. "What's wrong, Jou-kun?" he asked, knowing all too well what he was provoking.

The boy didn't look up, but Kenji could feel his boss' gaze freeze on him, telling him to leave.

"Nothing," he replied, but it was a pathetic lie.

"Of course nothing's wrong," the man said slowly, voice dripping with sarcasm. "And that's why you're shaking, right? Man up! I don't know what Kaiba-sama has been telling you, but whatever it is, it's best you hear it."

Katsuya stood slowly, not looking either in the eye.

It was the worst of signs to have such a silent youth, and Kenji knew it, but he went on.

"You're not gonna get anywhere dwelling on the past. Whatever happened happened, and you need to let it go. Just go ahead and let it out before it really starts to haunt you or you won't ever be able to live normally..." he trailed, looking down at his shoes; he was speaking from the heart... from experience, perhaps? "...and it'll hurt those around you..."

Katsuya heard the words, but he didn't comprehend them; he walked the razor-thin line between reality and imagination, and nothing was close enough for him to understand it.

A long silence stretched over the room where Seto honestly wished he had never become who he was; he wouldn't have to know other people's problems and worry about them because he'd be too busy worrying about his own... but... he still had problems, even in this time, so... why was he bothering with the mutt?

The CEO nodded his head in agreement before he realized he had, and announced, "Dwelling doesn't fix anything... but if you're not ready yet, that's fine, I guess." He sighed and lay back once more. "But don't think you'll have complete control over your life. You aren't in the right state of mind to be alone long enough to not do something stupid." He turned to Kenji, who looked at him curiously. "That room right there is livable, right?" he inquired, pointing out the door to vaguely indicate the bedroom next to his.

Kenji nodded.

"Then that's Katsuya's new room."

Katsuya looked up at the mention of his name and frowned.

Seto felt a bittersweet chill run down his spine when he looked over to the blonde and found a dull expression; he was definitely coming back, just slowly.

_What did I do to make him like this? I didn't... _He frowned; Katsuya had been relatively fine before he had been taken away by the CEO... but he didn't even want to be near him, apparently. He had gotten more resistant after his dad had been blamed, and after he had tried to touch him... _I must remind him of that man somehow._

The brunette sighed and shook his head dismissively; there was nothing he could do to change the mutt's mind at the moment, so all he could do was let him have his space and watch over him. _But at least he's stubborn... for the most part. He can definitely get over this._

Kenji could at least see the tension between the two teens and helped Katsuya to his new room on his own, then left him alone to try and sleep.

**XxXxXxXxX**

His feet pounded against the concrete as he ran as fast as he could from the hell that had held him captive, off the streets and into an alley.

The blonde looked over his shoulder to see if he was being followed and gulped; he was. He couldn't see his follower clearly because of the poor light, but whoever it was was around his age...

"In shape," the blonde panted as he pushed himself to go even faster.

There was a grunt and a loud clash and he risked a glance behind him to find his follower had fallen over a trash can.

_Good_.

He turned back around and found...

_Thugs. Just my luck._

He tried to run past, but he himself tripped over something. It wasn't until an offered hand came into his vision that he realized they weren't thugs at all; in fact, it was..

"Yuugi-kun! Honda-kun! What are you doing here?" he blurted, looking over the pair and finding a few more figures emerging from the shadows: Ryo, Ryuji, and a few more.

"Just hangin'," Hiroto replied with a broad grin. "What about you? You're running like Death is on your heels."

"Maybe he is," the blonde muttered under his breath. He looked up and smiled, saying, "Just getting my exercise!" He looked past and found the figure chasing him jogging towards them with a limp. "Gotta run!" he excused simply, scrambling to his feet and bolting from the alley, and finding himself back on the streets.

He looked over his shoulder once more and found that no one was following him. He sighed with relief as he turned back around, but he knew better than to stop. He slowed to a jog and continued on through the streets of Domino, not really caring where he went as long as it was away from here.

He didn't hear the brisk footsteps echoing his own until they were right behind him.

He just sprinted across half of Domino to get rid of one mystery only to be found once again, but was it the same one?

It was possible and highly plausible, but he didn't care enough to find out, and tried to bolt until a very strong hand grabbed his arm, at which point he woke up, crying out.

**XxXxXxXxX**

Kaiba Seto was not by any means a light sleeper, so of course he woke up when he heard the small cries and whimpers of anguish from the next room.

He ignored it at first, being far too tired to remember that it wasn't just a business partner's brat kid he kept over to make himself look good, but he snapped awake when he heard the scream.

"Jounouchi!" he gasped, moving to get out of bed, but froze; Katsuya didn't trust him, nor did he even seem to like him. Was it the best idea to barge in, assuming the worst?

At this point, Katsuya was no longer screaming, so Seto could only assume that meant he was awake, mulling over whatever he had seen; the CEO stayed in bed a few moments longer before he decided it would probably be better if he left the blonde alone.

He would come when he was ready.

**XxXxXxXxX**

Katsuya bolted upright, cold sweat plastering his hair to his face and shimmering on his bare torso by the moonlight forcing its way through the clouds and streaming easily through the cool glass panels of the windows.

What the hell did it mean?

He wasn't stupid, but he also wasn't a genius, and he'd never had to interpret dreams before...

Actually, the dream itself was simple enough to understand, but he wanted to know more about the shady character...s...?

He shook his head; he didn't know.

He only knew he was scared.

That's how it always started... but this was the first time he had ever run into anyone; he was usually caught by the person chasing him, and that would be why he woke up, but... who was trying to catch him, and why?

He shook his head and sighed; he never could figure it out, and he still had no clues.

_Might as well try to go back to sleep_, he thought idly, carefully laying back down and pulling the cover over him, despite how much his body disagreed with the extra heat; he had been unexplainably cold for the longest time now—_About two weeks_, he realized with a yawn—and no matter what he did to make himself feel warmer, he only felt colder.

He figured it was just that the place he was staying in now was air-conditioned since the apartment had always been hot, but something else told him it had nothing to do with temperature; "about two weeks" was how long it had been since Rich Boy took him in—how it long it had been since anyone had tried to legitimately console him, and he hated to admit it... but it had felt good being in someone's arms, feeling safe.

But it was wrong that he got that feeling from Kaiba, wasn't it?

He felt something stir in the pit of his stomach and suddenly he felt light-headed. He put his hands up to his temples and screwed his eyes shut against the feeling, hoping to make himself "sane" again, but gave up when the feeling only got stronger.

He was confused about so many things...!

What was this new fondness for Money Bags? Why couldn't he blame his dad for anything, and why couldn't he let himself believe people wanted to help him?

Why couldn't he just _think_?

He sat up once more and roughly tossed the cover aside with a growl; he needed to breathe.

He slid off the large bed and struggled with the white tank he had tossed aside earlier—_Or was it yesterday?_ He thought idly, bringing a hand up to stifle another yawn—before he just opted to go shirtless and padded out into the hall barefoot, trying to remember how to get to the gardens from his location.

He stumbled through the dark corridors sleepily, just barely able to make it to the garden without getting lost.

The blonde inhaled deeply, appreciating the smell of clean air and freshly-cut grass; all his life, he'd only ever inhaled car exhaust and cigarette smoke from neighbors... it was nice to just unwind in nature, no matter how unnatural this "nature" was; he didn't feel like anything was weighing him down, he didn't feel like he was being watched, and he didn't feel like he had to do anything.

He felt... _good_.

But he was sure it would go back to how it was once he stepped foot in the mansion; it was such a corporate place; there were no candid family portraits, no random, mismatched pieces of furniture with stories behind them, no messes left by happy, carefree children. Everything was spick-and-span, perfectly perfect, and above all, emotionless.

It almost hurt him to think that Money Bags had grown up without a childhood, but Kenji had said it was his own choice.

But still... even if it was to take care of Mokuba, it was still an injustice to the hard-working teen.

Katsuya shook his head, wrecking the train of thought; why should he feel sorry? He had nothing to do with it!

Still... he couldn't help but feel for the teen after all the brunette had at least _tried_ to do for him.

_Maybe I should apologize for earlier_, he thought idly as he stretched. _I was really out of it..._

He nodded to himself, but moved to lay on the grass; he wanted to be free a little bit longer.

He closed his eyes and sighed wistfully.

_If only it could be like this all the time..._

**XxXxXxXxX**

He didn't even remember going to sleep—_But I guess I wouldn't, if I was asleep_, he thought with a dull smile—nor did he know how much time had passed, but he figured it was a lot if he had gone down sometime in the dark of night and was waking up to a silently amused CEO standing over him in broad daylight.

"Have a nice night, Mutt?" he inquired, folding his arms across his chest.

He made a face at the name as he stood under the critical sapphire gaze of the CEO, grinning, and replied, "Yeah, I did, actually. Thanks for considering me, Money Bags!"

The brunette gave a slight nod in return and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again.

"What?" the blonde asked, brushing off the grass and dirt that had clung to him during the night.

He looked up to find the brunette looking down at him with something—_Concern?_ the blonde wondered briefly. It looked like concern, but at the same time, it didn't—but shook his head, dismissing whatever thought had run through his head and smiled down at the blonde.

_Wait—smiled?_ Katsuya was sure that somewhere in the world, something cute had just died from the tragedy—_Like a puppy_, the blonde thought. _Wait. That would suck_. _Poor puppy_.

"So what did you want? Don't you have a company to run and people to fire?" the blonde teased, earning a glare from the brunette.

"I don't know where you common folk get the idea that CEOs exist only to fire people, but I don't like it. It puts a bad image on me," he stated. "Even if it is true," he muttered with a smirk as an afterthought, turning on his heel and leading the way back inside.

The blonde laughed and followed, not even thinking that the brunette may have his own things to do.

Kaiba had caught the mutt's earlier lie, but said nothing about it; "Why were you out here?" he asked instead, hoping to get some sort of answer from the boy. "And for how long?"

"Dunno, wanted some air," Katsuya answered dully, moving to catch up with the tall teen. "So what do you do on Sundays?"

"It depends on whether or not my idiots can hold down the fort for a day. Why?" he wondered, glancing at the blonde still obsessing over the thin strings of grass clinging to him. He resisted the horribly strange urge—that he to his need for order—to pick the pieces off one by one and asked, "And why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

The blonde looked up, lost, before the questions registered.

"Oh. Just curious," he replied, brushing off the grass from his cast. "And because you can only put on a shirt so easily with a broken arm when you're half asleep."

Kaiba shrugged dismissively and continued on in the path that Katsuya recognized as the way to the kitchen in silence.

He liked the silence. It was comfortable. He didn't feel like he had to say anything, and he knew if he did, it wouldn't matter anyway.

Pondering these things, he almost ran into the CEO when he stopped abruptly at the open doorway of the kitchen.

"It's almost lunch time. Don't eat the house and you can be left alone," he instructed, ushering the younger teen through the open doorway before turning off to some other direction.

Katsuya shrugged and grinned like a kid in a candy store when he found Debbie already making something; she used to feed him quite often, and he wasn't about to miss a chance to eat whatever she was making. The blonde snuck up behind her and stood over her shoulder, looking into the pot in front of her; "Spaghetti? That all?" he wondered aloud, stepping back before the girl could elbow him for being "so critical."

"Funny. I seem to recall you loving spaghetti," she stated, looking over her shoulder at him. "But if you don't want any, you can go ahead and make something else for you. I'm sure it'll be a snap with your broken arm, right?" she teased.

He knew she didn't mean to bring it up, but as soon as he was reminded of exactly why he couldn't do just that, his thoughts took a hard left into uncharted territory; he didn't know why her words always had such an effect—especially if he had been reminded of his broken arm by Kaiba hardly a minute ago—but something about her wasn't always as gentle as she seemed.

_Not that Money Bags is gentle! He just isn't so blunt about things_, the blonde reasoned, turning and grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the nearest marble counter. _Wait. That's a lie, too._ He paused, then settled his argument with, _But_ _at least he didn't out-right ask me about it. It was the answer to a question._

He roamed about randomly as he thought, trying to ignore the wonderful scent floating about until he ran into something.

"Watch it, Mutt," a familiar voice quipped.

"Kaiba?" he inquired in disbelief when he looked up to find who had stopped him. "Isn't it kinda your fault, too? I may not have been lookin', but it's a big hall and you could have moved."

The brunette shrugged, looking down at the papers now strewn about the floor; "Help me with these," he ordered, bending down to pick up the nearest few.

Katsuya shrugged, too, deciding it would keep him busy for a few seconds. "What are they?" he wondered as he bent down to pick one up.

"Just some contracts. We're working on putting a KaibaLand somewhere in America. Haven't decided where yet," he replied dismissively, holding out his hand for the papers that the blonde had managed to pick up as he stood.

Katsuya stood as well and held them out as he brought the apple he had yet to munch on to his mouth.

He wasn't paying much attention to anything but the floor at the moment, lost in his own world, so he was quite surprised when another hand came into his vision and plucked the ripe fruit from his hand.

He looked up, dazed, and frowned.

"What?"

"I'll be having this," the brunette smirked, shining the apple on his gravity-defying coat and bringing it to his own mouth.

Katsuya was miffed, but something told him to stay.

He watched the apple travel up to the brunette's lips, not noticing the sapphire gaze turned on his own eyes; Seto was watching Katsuya watch him eat.

The CEO found it strange that the blonde was so focused on his actions, but dismissed it as annoyance that his snack had been taken.

_Oh well_, he shrugged, turning on his heel and breaking the spell cast on the blonde, who then proceeded to call himself every kind of stupid in the book.

* * *

Isn't he just adorable?

I friggin' love Joey!

But enough of my fangirliness :P

Stay Fabulous~! :D


	7. On A Mission

**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN Yu-Gi-Oh!, its characters, plots, or anything even remotely associated with it.**

This is the first amazing chapter written on my wonderful Dennis the Fantastic, and I would like to thank him for being so amazing and awesome.

This, unfortunately, is partially a Debbie chapter, but after this, she won't be in and we get to see our two favorite dragons even more! X)

Enjoy~

* * *

**On a Mission**

She dropped the pair of tongs she was using to stir the limp noodles and let out a growl of frustration; she couldn't do anything right, could she?

It didn't matter how hard she tried to buddy up to him, she always screwed it up.

She knew it had to do with her past as the black sheep, but she had gotten over it... for the most part.

Suddenly, she smiled; she knew there was a reason Katsuya had let her in. There was a reason he let her help with his dad's debt, and there was a reason he never stepped in when she argued with the man. She just had to figure it out.

...and maybe she'd ask if he liked her, too.

She turned off the heat and set out to look for him, thinking about far she had come since coming to Japan; she had gotten rid of her emotional baggage, and the second her feet touched Japanese soil, she felt free... finally... _free_. She didn't have to deal with parents pretending to love her and people pretending to be her friends, and she didn't need them; she was starting life anew, and she would be calling the shots.

She had a pen pal named Aiko Tanaka in Japan that had told her it was perfectly fine if she moved in with her while she got settled, and that's exactly what she did... but a few months after these arrangements were made and she had finally gotten settled in, money had become an issue.

Aiko didn't tell her about it at first, but the American found out when she had taken the liberty of getting the mail one day and found a warning posted on the small black box claiming they would be evicted if the rent wasn't paid soon.

There was no yelling, no heated silence, and no hurt confusion; Debbie simply packed what little things she brought, and as she made to leave, Aiko stopped her.

. . .

_"You can stay," the shorter, though older girl said softly, looking up into those piercing emerald eyes she had always admired. "I just went a little overboard with my spending, is all. There's really nothing–"_

_"Stay where?" she interrupted, causing the girl to flinch. She sighed, and flashed an apologetic smile before she continued. "...I have a job in line. I'll send you enough to help you and then some, mmkay?"_

_Aiko, though displeased with the decision, nodded slowly before she froze, remembering something._

_"Why do you already have a job? And what about school?"_

_"I wanted to pay you back somehow, and what they don't know won't hurt 'em," she said, bringing her friend in for a good-bye hug. "And if that doesn't work, I'll work at the place full time."_

_Aiko stepped back and looked up at the girl questioningly._

_"What place?"_

_"I'll be a live-in maid. If I get the job, it's some mansion," she replied, making a face; she didn't like snobby people. "Some big-shot gaming guy."_

_Aiko tilted her head in a curious fashion._

_"Gaming... guy?"_

_Debbie nodded and elaborated; "Yeah," she replied with a dismissive wave of her hand and a sigh. "Seto Something-or-other... I heard he's a jerk."_

_The older's eyes lit up with recognition at "Seto," and she almost jumped for joy._

_"You're going to work for Kaiba Seto! My brother works for him, too! You need to meet him, he's really nice and–"_

_Debbie put a hand up to the childish girl's mouth and laughed._

_"Stop trying to set me up with people! I can find my own dates, thank you very much!"_

_Aiko bit the girl's hand and turned away in mock anger._

_"Hmph!"_

. . .

She smiled at the memory.

She had indeed changed quite a bit from the solitary girl she once was, but even now, she knew it was only on the outside; deep down, some sick, smart-ass part of her knew she would always be alone, and told her so every day of her life since she began hearing it.

She didn't even realize how lost she was until she looked up and found herself at her own room.

_It doesn't matter where I wanna go. If I'm thinking, I always end up here_, she thought with a tired sigh before turning on her heel and walking back down the hall.

It wasn't long before she ran into someone.

And not just any someone, but the one and only Kenji Tanaka.

"Hey, girl," he cooed, ruffling her hair. "How's it been?"

She batted away the hand, in no mood to deal with the nonchalant man; she may not have been the Kaiba of living, but she didn't want to be the Kenji of it, either; she wanted a balance.

She wanted Katsuya.

...but did he want her?

"Can it, Tanaka–" she voiced, folding her arms across her chest.

"–You insult me, Raye–"

"–You're everywhere at once, so tell me: Where's Katsuya?"

He looked down at her for a moment, smiling thinly before he realized she wasn't about to leave without an answer.

He had indeed seen the boy; he saw the boy wandering the halls, and had seen when Boss Man had turned into the hall he and Slick were in, but he wasn't stupid. He had seen quite a few things in his short number of years, and was wise beyond them times ten. He knew better than to get between a girl and her plans, but she was also an angry blind girl, and it was even worse pissing one of them off.

Pissing off both at once was like knocking on Death's door, so he decided to try a different approach.

"I'll tell you, gaijin–"

"–Don't call me that." she interrupted, catching his attention and shutting him up for about half a second.

"Why, _gaijin_?" he prodded. "You don't like being called what you are? A foreigner? Gaijin?"

"I probably know more about your own culture than you do!" she defended.

"You probably do," he conceded, capturing her attention quite quickly, "but I'm not talking about your foreign status here, Raven," he stated, looking down at her.

She froze; what was he talking about, if not that she was an American in Japan? What was foreign to her?

"You have such beautiful eyes, Raven, but you don't use them. Not like I use mine," he said softly, running a hand gently through her hair.

"That's not my name, either, Tanaka," she said, annoyed, leaning way from him, "and I'm not yours to call anymore, so cut the crap. I moved on, so–"

"–But _did_ you?" he inquired. "You _think_ you–"

"–Shut up!" she cried, and froze; she knew what was coming.

Deborah had only ever seen Kenji angry once before, and she remembered now why she didn't talk back to him as he took her wrists in a commanding iron grip.

"You are still the same child that refuses to listen," he stated in a dangerous whisper. His chocolate-brown eyes held a certain primal fury in their depths, and it terrified her. "It used to be cute. _Endearing_, even," he said with a cold smirk, "but now it's just getting on my nerves. I don't give a _damn_ what you know or think you know. I care about you, Raye, and I can see the whole picture, unlike you." He paused and let it sink in before continuing, "I know what you want, but I also know more about your precious little _Katsuya_ than you could ever hope to," he spat. She didn't see how this was possible, as she had been trying for a year to be so close to the blonde, and he had only known the blonde for as long as he'd been in the Kaiba mansion, but said nothing and let him continue. "I have both of your best interests at heart when I ask you to stay away from him and let Fate take its course, and dammit, Raye, look at me when I'm talking to you!"

She didn't move, didn't breathe as he squeezed her wrists to get her attention away from the ground.

"Look at me," he repeated calmly, quietly.

She didn't dare look up from the hands around her wrists.

"_Look_. _At_. _Me_."

She shook her head, bringing her bangs into her face and hiding her from her current worst fear.

He blanched at the blatant disregard for his anger, then smirked and let her go; it was her choice if she wanted a boulder to block her path.

It gave him little pleasure to see her rub her wrists as she stood taller, not knowing whether to run and never come back or stay and try to undo what had been done.

"Fine," he said with a shrug. "Do as you wish, _Deborah_, but remember that I have never lied to you." He spun on his heel and shoved his hands in his pockets as he spoke, his voice quiet and void of all the fury it held seconds before, replaced with concern and curiosity; "Did you like when I called you Flower, or do you prefer Raven?" Her blood was boiling by this point, but she said nothing and he continued, "Because I could call you Flower... but it wouldn't exactly be the truth anymore, would it?"

She let out a small growl at the reminder, but still held her tongue.

"...especially with how you've become now. You are much more a raven than a flower."

He sighed and continued on down the hall, leaving her to mull over her decisions once more.

**XxXxXxXxX**

He strolled down the halls slowly, pondering the boy's actions; the blonde had become increasingly confusing to him lately, and while he did like that he seemed to be at least attempting to sort his thoughts, he figured there was something already on his mind that needed to be let free.

_But he doesn't seem to want to talk to me about anything that goes through that thick skull of his_, the CEO thought with a sigh. _And I can't just force him to talk. He needs to be comfortable or it'll only hurt him more._

He froze.

What if that was just it; what if his mutt wasn't speaking because he was still in unfamiliar surroundings, with new ways and new people? What if all he needed was to learn for himself how much better this house was for him?

Kaiba nodded; that had to be it. There was no other logical explanation.

He knew from experience how hard it was to communicate honestly with people he didn't trust, so all he needed was the gain the blonde's trust.

How to go about getting it... well... that was another problem all together.

He made a mental note to call Yuugi and continued on down the hall to his study, not even realizing he had called the blonde his.

**XxXxXxXxX**

_What is wrong with me? I can't be around him for two seconds without worrying I'll do something stupid_, the blonde thought angrily as he shuffled into his room.

He moved straight to his bed and fell forward on it with a heavy sigh.

Something froze him in the hall.

Something stopped him from arguing with the brunette.

Something stopped him from remembering to breathe when Rich Boy didn't move either, waiting for some rise out of the blonde.

Something was giving him butterflies... and that something was the CEO himself.

Katsuya grabbed his pillow and yelled into it as loud as he could for as long as he could before he threw it aside and flipped onto his back to stare up at the blank ceiling.

_Money Bags was right on some level, though_, he conceded. _I do need someone to talk to. Just... not about Dad. Not yet._

He sat up and rubbed his eyes with a yawn.

_I'll talk to Yuugi about Kaiba, then to Kaiba about... whatever the hell he wants me to._

He nodded to himself and yawned again as he pulled his covers up to his chest and curled around them and went to sleep.

**XxXxXxXxX**

Mutou Yuugi walked up to the small shop and slid his key into the lock of the door just as his D-Shock emitted a series of beeps to signal the beginning of the third hour. Once inside, he placed his keys on the counter and shrugged off his coat as he called up the stairs, "Jii-chan! I'm home!" before proceeding to the kitchen and flipping on the switch.

He opened the refrigerator for a snack and peered into it with a sigh; he'd either have to go shopping again or stop insisting that everyone go to his house after school.

Just as he closed it, his phone rang. He retrieved it from his pocket, and, glancing at the Caller ID, frowned; it was an unknown number.

_I never have unknown callers_, he thought, his brow furrowing in confusion. _I don't give my number out to just anyone. Why do I have unknown callers!_

He panicked silently long enough for whoever was calling to leave a message, and he flipped it open and pushed the "Talk" button, allowing him to hear said message, but he almost wished he hadn't when he heard the voice.

"Yuugi-kun," the formal voice cackled coolly through the speaker, as if it had better things to do, "It's Kaiba. I want to talk to you about Jounouchi-kun. Call me back when you're available," it stated.

A small _click_ followed, and the line went dead.

Yuugi stood there for a few moments, staring blankly at the phone before his mind registered the message.

_Why does Kaiba want to talk to me about Jou-kun? He has Jou-kun there to talk to himself_, he thought, then groaned; was the blonde being difficult, after all that Kaiba had given him? Was he being rude?

He thought back to Kaiba's cold voice; he sounded angry, but then, he always sounded like that.

Yuugi shook his head with a mixture of amusement and mild annoyance, resolving to talk to Katsuya first, then to the CEO as he turned off the light, went back to the shop, and grabbed his keys from the counter. He didn't bother with his jacket as he left, calling over his shoulder as he left, "Jii-chan! I'm going out!"

He turned and locked the door, but as he was sliding the key in his pocket, he froze.

"How did Kaiba-kun get my number?"

**XxXxXxXxX**

"Knock, knock," a soft-spoken, familiar voice carried quietly through the door.

Katsuya groaned; he was finally able to get all the sleep he wanted, but he _still_ couldn't get all the sleep he wanted!

"Hmmmmm...! Whaddya want...? I'm tryin' ta sleep...!" he whined, flipping back onto his back and lifting his head to find the intruder. "Yuugi-kuuuuuuun... please... whatever it is, can't it wait 'till tomorrow?"

The shorter teen smiled as he made his way to the blonde and shook his head.

"No, Jou-kun, it can't wait until tomorrow," he assured with a small smile, sitting at the end of the bed. "Kaiba-kun called me earlier. He said that he wanted to talk about you. You're not being disrespectful to him, are you?" the smaller teen asked, looking the blonde over. He seemed fine, but it was always better to have reassurance.

Katsuya paused as the question sunk in, then laughed out loud.

"What!" Yuugi defended, unsure why his best friend was suddenly crazy.

"You're worried that I'm bein' disrespectful to him, that's what! You realize that every fight we've had, he's started, right?" the blonde asked, amused.

"Well... yes," the smaller conceded, "but he has done a lot for you, Jou-kun. He offers his home to you for your well being, so the least you can do is–"

"–Be respectful?" Katsuya interrupted, watching the younger nod shyly. He flashed a reassuring smile and clapped a hand over the small teen's shoulder. "You don't have to worry about it. I'm not bein' mean to Money Bags, and so far he's been pretty decent, too," he admitted with a laugh. "But I do wonder why he called you. Did he say anything specific?"

Yuugi shook his head.

"No. He only said he wanted to talk about you. He didn't say why or what about."

The blonde furrowed his brow; what did Kaiba have to say?

He pondered it briefly before remembering his company.

"Ah, well. That's fine, I guess. He's probably somewhere here, so if you find him, you can talk to him."

Yuugi nodded and stood, but looked over his shoulder when the blonde called him to attention once more.

"Yuugi-kun... hold on a minute..."

"Yes?"

"I..."

..._think something is wrong with me_, he thought, then shook his head to rid himself of the thought. _There's nothing wrong with me! I'm fine! Maybe Rich Boy being nice is just weirding me out_... He nodded, as if that were the case, and continued reasoning with himself. _Yeah. That's it. I'm so used to Kaiba being mean, that him being nice is weird to me._

His head agreed whole-heartedly with this assumption, but his gut didn't.

Either way, he had decided to at least post-pone the topic until he knew for sure that wasn't why.

"Nothin'," he yawned. "Never mind. It was nothin'," he said, falling back onto the bed once more. He waved a hand in the smaller teen's general direction, mumbling, "Just go find Money Bags, mmkay? And if he says anything weird, let me know," he yawned.

Yuugi nodded absently, thoroughly confused.

_Why is everyone so vague!_

**XxXxXxXxX**

He wandered through the dreary corridors aimlessly for a while before the tall teen emerged from a room at the end of the hall he was currently in.

"Kaiba-kun!" he called as the brunette turned and locked the door to whatever room it was.

The CEO looked over his shoulder, acknowledging the boy but making no further effort to meet him.

"You called me and said you wanted to talk to me about Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi reminded, making his way over. "Are you free?"

He nodded, and led the smaller teen... wherever it was he wanted to talk with him.

"Yes, but I also said to _call _me back," he pointed out. "Though I suppose there's no harm in it right now, since I'm done with my work for the day," he drawled, not waiting for Yuugi to follow as the small teen took a closer look at his surroundings; all of the rugs were a boring, cliché shade of maroon and there was a single flower pot in the center of a round table between every door. The walls were an untainted, darker, reddish-brown, and there was not a single picture hanging anywhere. He didn't particularly like the décor, but said nothing to the easily annoyed CEO as they continued on to... wherever they were going.

"So," he began, then remembered something and asked that instead. "How did you get my number, Kaiba-kun?"

He glanced over his shoulder at the boy and beckoned for him to pick up the pace before asking a question of his own.

"Do you think Jounouchi needs a counselor?" he asked simply. It was very open, and Kaiba didn't seem to care one way or the other, which surprised Yuugi; Kaiba brought him into the house to take care of him, but he seemed bored by the subject. There wasn't a hint of concern in his cold monotone, and that bothered the smaller teen to no end.

"Of course," Yuugi replied, matching Seto's brisk pace and completely forgetting his previous inquiry. "He has been through a lot, and to keep it all inside just... it isn't right!"

There was no response from the brunette for a few moments, and they simply continued through winding halls in silence before he found his voice.

"Try telling that to him," he muttered, finally coming to a stop in front of a large, dark door.

There was nothing adorning it, and nothing carved into it like most of the doors in the house, but Yuugi could tell it held importance anyways.

The CEO opened the door and ushered in the smaller teen, who took the time to look over the room.

He was surprised to find how bland it was; the walls were a stark white, and despite the space, the only furnishings were a tall, white, leather-back chair, and a long, white suede sofa with a single, adjustable armrest. He took another sweeping glance around the room and found everything was the same blinding white. The only indication that there was anything even in it were the shadows cast, and if Yuugi didn't know any better, he would have said it was a therapists' office.

"This is my therapists' office," the brunette stated, coming up behind the shorter teen.

"Of course it is..." he muttered, looking out the window. The sky was so... _blue_. It was calming, and he could see why this room was used for therapy.

"Sit."

Yuugi shook his head, allowing himself back into reality.

"Wha...?"

"Sit," Kaiba repeated, sitting in his own chair; he looked... _right_... sitting in that leather chair.

Like he belonged there.

He leaned into it and brought his right leg over his left, then leaned his chin in his hand. "He wants me to be his therapist," the teen stated abruptly as Yuugi sat.

He was glad he was already in front of the sofa, otherwise he would have fallen on the floor.

"Jou-kun... wants _you_ to talk to him?" Yuugi asked as politely as he could; he knew of the tension between the two, and it was hard to believe that the blonde had not only agreed to counseling, but to having Kaiba be the counselor.

He nodded and sighed; "But he doesn't want to talk, and he doesn't even seem to like me. I'm not the only one seeing the problem here, right?" he inquired needlessly.

"No... you're not," the small teen reassured. "So... what do you need me for?" he wondered, looking up to meet the CEO's gaze. He was surprised to find it wasn't as cold as normal; _Lukewarm, even._

"I think," the brunette began, "that he just needs to have a little faith in the people helping him. You're his friend. You have his trust, don't you?" he wondered.

Yuugi frowned; _did_ he have Katsuya's trust? The blonde didn't tell him about his dad; he had lied flat-out about it.

He was silent for a long time, and finally replied, "I... I don't know..."

The CEO narrowed his eyes, but didn't push the topic further; "Do you know what he likes?" he asked instead, gracing the boy with his gaze.

Yuugi gave a small nod and looked up with an obviously false smile.

"Yeah. He likes amusement parks and playing sports," he offered, but even his false grin left when he realized why neither of these things would help whatever Kaiba's cause was. "...but his arm..."

Kaiba nodded absently and stood, gaining the small teen's attention.

"Why do you need to know what he likes?" he wondered, watching the tall brunette make his way to the window.

"I've only now come to realize how much of a mutt he really is," the CEO stated quietly, annoying Yuugi; he was supposed to be helping Katsuya, not insulting him! As much as he wanted to speak against the injustice, the young Mutou held his tongue, waiting for the brunette to continue; "He comes from the streets, he always finds his way to trouble, he seems to be a great judge of character..." he trailed, making Yuugi wonder if the brunette was complimenting him or himself, "...and he doesn't just give out his trust after he's been hurt." He turned to Yuugi and smirked. "But I can fix that. I just need him to trust me enough to talk. I just need a little of his trust."

Yuugi didn't know what to say to the comment, but he knew that he liked that Kaiba did care, after all.

Or at least... his will to change Katsuya.

"I hope so..." he muttered, getting comfortable for the steady give-and-take of suggestions to come.

* * *

Oh, the advantages of dramatic irony.

...

_Anyways..._

I'm really sorry it was so short, but I promise, we will see some really lovey-dovey dragons soon.

. . .

Or at least bonding dragons :P

. . .

Oh well.

Stay Fabulous~! :D


	8. One More Go

******DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN ****__****Yu-Gi-Oh!********, its characters, plots, or anything even remotely associated with it.**

I have a million excuses, but I'm sure you don't want to read my gibberish when I'm already so far behind in writing.

I haven't given up, but I did experience my first case of writer's block with this chapter, and it sucked ass. I feel so horrible having you all wait so long for this mess of a chapter, but like I promised, I will finish this story. And the good news: I've already started the next chapter.

You can give your special thanks (and mine :P) especially to Valiant Vulpes for [indirectly] reminding me of my priorities; I'd given up for a few weeks because of my block, but I kept trying when I saw the email saying I had a new alerter, so thank you :)

I didn't want to post this today; I feel like I haven't "fixed" it enough (even though I spent two days editing :P)

**Note: The dead puppy joke is not in this chapter.**

Enjoy~

* * *

**One More Go**

Seto, impatient as he was, allowed two more weeks of trying to get the blonde to relax by biting his own tongue, but Katsuya was infuriatingly easily dodging every one of the CEO's attempts to get him alone. Every suggestion made by Yuugi to spend time with the blonde wasn't working, and what was worse: Katsuya seemed to know from the beginning.

Seto decided that there was no more room for lassez-faire tactics if he really wanted anything done, but something finally clicked into place as he made new plans; why did he care about this kid? Why did it tear him apart inside to think that this delinquent had nowhere to turn, and no one to turn to?

He knew it shouldn't matter; he was human, after all, and wasn't it in human nature to help others? Was this not just a natural response?

He thought about the boy's father and realized that human nature wasn't so black and white. He thought about his own adoptive father, and knew there was more to it than good and bad. Taking what he knew about people from business, he came to the conclusion that those people weren't _human_.

They may have been capable of kindness at one time, but even then, surely there was something wrong with them. They must have harbored darker thoughts than their peers or been a less than enthusiastic child.

He made a mental note to look through his library for any more books on psychology, hoping to find something he'd missed or forgotten since his early days of learning the human mind with Gozaburo.

_Katsuya is well-guarded,_ Seto acknowledged._ He's the exception to every rule I know,_ the brunette thought sullenly. _So I'd better learn the new rules._

******XxXxXxXxX**

Katsuya woke up with the feeling that it wasn't going to be a good day. He was right to some extent, but also very wrong.

As he rolled haphazardly out of the overly-large mattress he claimed as his bed, their was a brisk knock on his door.

"Whaaaaat..." he drawled tiredly, making his way to his dresser. "Just come in!" he called over his shoulder.

He heard the door glide across the carpet, but nothing more. The blonde turned to find a fully-dressed Kaiba Seto complete with his signature glare, and his heart launched into his throat seeing the very icy glare that he hated so very much turned on him.

What did he do? He'd been staying out of the CEO's way, been doing his work, so why was he mad?

He tore his gaze away from the prying blue eyes and continued raiding his dresser for something comfortable this Sunday; it had been getting colder as of late, and despite the heat in the well-insulated mansion, Katsuya was still chilled. He pulled out a navy blue turtleneck he'd stolen from Honda last Tuesday when they stopped there after school, and a pair of soft, baggy jeans before taking a deep breath and turning back to the taller teen.

"Yes?"

"Don't 'yes' me.," the brunette said, voice calm and cold. "You've been avoiding me ever since you got here," he stated flatly. A thin smile threaded across his lips as he continued, "I realize my superiority is intimidating at times, but—"

"—But nothing," the blonde quipped. "If I don't want to talk about it, I don't want to talk about it. I'll be fine."

"You won't be fine," Seto negated.

"Yes, I will."

"_No,_ you won't," he repeated sternly. "I think I would know the kind of stress keeping secrets creates."

"I was abused by my drunk dad and no one gave a flying fuck," the blonde said dully. "There's nothing secret about it."

"That's not what I—"

"—I don't care what you meant to say!" he seethed. "I don't wanna talk about it! If I don't wanna talk about it, then—"

"—Would you just _listen_ to me for a minute, please?" the brunette asked, frustrated with the blonde for being so stubborn. When he received no response, he continued with a sigh. "I get that you don't want to talk about it—"

"—Then why are you—"

"—Don't start this crap again, Katsuya!" the CEO snapped, annoyed and still not used to people talking back. It had the desired effect, but he felt guilty and took a deep breath before continuing once more. "I get the you don't want to talk about it," he began again, and seeing the look on the shorter's face, quickly continued, "I get that. But I _won't _respect that. I can tell you first-hand how it feels to think you can't rely on anyone: It sucks ass. I'm not asking you to end world hunger here, Katsuya. All I'm asking is that you make an effort to reflect and try to move on."

Katsuya was silent for a few moments, seeming to mull this over.

"That's not possible." he stated finally, voice soft and hurt. "How the Hell can someone remember all of... _that..._ and be okay with it? It shouldn't be possible."

"But it is.," Seto replied just as quiet, silently hoping it had actually worked this time. "You can't put it off forever. Sooner or later, there will come a time when you will see your dad again. I'm sure you know how much better you'd be off if you could stand up to him when that time comes," he said, watching the sullen blonde for any kind of reaction, but there was none.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a heavy sigh fell past Katsuya's lips.

"Fine. What do I—"

"—Just... start with the basics; how old were you when he started, what may have triggered it, how you felt."

"The basics."

Seto nodded and watched as the younger teen's gaze flicked around the room, as if searching for an escape.

"I'm... gonna take a shower, first..." he trailed quietly, fisting his hand around the clothes he'd picked out earlier and slowly making his way to his bathroom. "Just... chill for a bit, I guess."

He left after receiving a vague nod from the teen, and promptly continued to bathe.

**XxXxXxXxX**

She shuffled quietly through the halls, bored out of her mind and frustrated to boot.

_Stupid Kenji,_ she thought angrily, biting the inside of her cheek. _Who does he think he is, my mother?_ She wondered, hardly even recalling that she never listened to her parents in the first place. _He has no say in who I can or can't talk to,_ she reasoned. _Fate my ass. What are you, psychic? Tch._

She let out a heavy sigh and looked around, thinking she'd heard something, but shook her head, coming to the conclusion that she was just being paranoid.

"Katsuya loves me," she told herself once more. _I know he does. Kenji can suck it for all I care,_ she thought, still shuffling quietly through the halls.

******XxXxXxXxX**

The CEO sat on the edge of the bed and fell back with a heavy sigh, tired but feeling well for the first time in the while.

_I don't know what I would've done if he dodged one more of Yuugi's plans,_ the brunette thought sluggishly, letting his heavy lids fall as the steady sound of water beating down lulled him into a dazed state. _And I still don't get why he was avoiding me..._

He took in a deep breath, mulling over any possible reason when a sudden blast of heat roused him from his daze.

He turned his gaze to where it came from and found the subject of his thoughts only half-dressed as he stumbled out of the bathroom doorway, pulling his head through the top of the navy blue turtleneck he'd picked out earlier.

When the damp mop of hair finally showed itself, a red face was beneath it.

"Did you take a shower or try to boil yourself?" Seto wondered sarcastically, almost missing the way Katsuya's face only got redder at his comment.

"I really don't need the sarcasm, Rich Boy," the blonde stated dully as he dropped himself onto the opposite end of the bed, "so I'd appreciate if you'd stop."

"Ooh. Sounds like someone finally got a dictionary!" the older teen teased, not missing a beat and sorely regretting it.

"What is your deal?" the blonde quipped. "And you wonder why I don't fucking talk to you! This is why! You might be mature on the outside, but you're just as bad as I can be!" he cried, indignant. "You act all high and mighty, but you're not!" Katsuya fumed, storming for the door.

His strides were too short to beat the brunette to the door, but he still tried (and failed) to dash around the older teen before he looked up.

"Get out of my way!"

"Katsuya," Seto said simply, a small smirk betraying his remorse. "Look—"

"—No, _you_ look," the blonde interrupted sternly, pushing a finger into the CEO's chest. "Be as much of an ass to me as you want, but _don't_ do it when you want something!" he exclaimed. "That's the least you can do!"

Seto wasn't quite sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't such a simple request.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and promptly nodded.

"Fine. I'm sorry," he replied quickly, ignoring the disbelieving look thrown his way. "But—"

"—No 'but,'" the blonde cut in, reaching up to rub his temples. "Just ask away and I'll answer. No tricks, no sarcasm, no... 'you.'" the blonde finished, turning back to his bed with a sigh.

Watching him, Seto wondered what had come over him to make him provoke such a reaction. He honestly didn't know why he wanted to see the blonde get riled up, but now that he had, he almost wanted to see how much farther he could push until something interesting happened.

Katsuya let himself fall forward onto the mattress and took a deep breath to calm his frayed nerves as he waited for the interrogation to begin.

**XxXxXxXxX**

He watched with mild interest the way that she silently fumed, smirking to himself as the debate in her head continued.

_Probably over whether or not to ignore my warning,_ he mused, carefully prying back the wrapping on another bag of Pocky to snack on and mentally cursing his snack habit when she froze for a moment.

_The funny thing is... there is no threat,_ he thought with a snicker. _She just doesn't get that I wouldn't actually hurt her, even if my life depended on it,_ he thought.

"Katsuya loves me," he heard the girl say, and he sighed.

_But she needs to stop living in her dreams. Not that there's nothing to love about her, but Katsuya sure as Hell doesn't see it._

He reluctantly turned on his heel when he felt his phone start to vibrate.

******XxXxXxXxX**

He turned on his back with a heavy sigh and looked up at the ceiling.

"I told ya already that no one would've listened if I told 'em, Money Bags," Katsuya said.

"And I told _you _that that's bullshit, and you know it, Katsuya," the brunette stated.

"Whaddya mean, 'That's bullshi—"

"_I _listened, Katsuya," the CEO pointed out, putting a hand to his chest to stress his point. "And if that damned man—"

"—Don't call him that," the blonde cut in, genuinely surprising the older teen.

"What would you have me call him? 'That angel'?" the brunette asked sarcastically, earning a look. The CEO sighed and relented. "Say it," he said flatly.

"Say what?" the amber-eyed teen inquired, oblivious.

"Whatever you wanted to say. I'm a free ear. You may as well take advantage of that."

The blonde sighed.

"I know what he did was wrong," he began, earning (and ignoring) a scoff of derision, "but he's still my dad, and—"

"—Here we go again," Seto cut in quickly. "Suppose he wasn't. Suppose he wasn't your father, or related to you in any way. What would you have done?"

Katsuya blinked a few times, unsure how to respond.

What _would_ he do?

Would he stand up, or speak out, or would it just be the same?

After a few moments of silence and seeing the trouble the blonde was having with this question, Seto relented and moved on.

"Why does he matter so much to you?" he wondered softly.

Katsuya blinked and turned at the concern he heard in the brunette's voice.

He was surprised to find what seemed to be worry in the depths of the cerulean orbs he'd come to secretly envy.

Yes; Jounouchi Katsuya was jealous of Kaiba Seto—and who wouldn't be? He had money, and brains, and charisma_—When he's not being an ass—_and looks, and what did Katsuya have? A lot of bruises and the few rags he called his clothes.

_At least... before I came here._

He mentally thanked the CEO once more before he remembered that he'd been asked a question.

"I..."

A quick rap on the door quickly brought them both to their senses.

"Kaiba-sama," a voice called through the door, "there's something I'd like to ask of you."

The CEO looked confused for a split second, but quickly recovered.

"Come in," he said, watching as his chauffeur stepped in.

It was odd for Katsuya not to see him in his standard suit; the man was wearing a plain black tee and baggy jeans, and his hair could stand a date with a comb. Despite his casual appearance, though, he still looked like Kaiba's employee—if that made any sense.

The man handed him a warm smile and Katsuya nodded in return before Kenji turned his attention back to his superior.

"What is it?" the CEO asked.

"If you don't mind, Kaiba-sama," the man began, throwing a glance at the blonde, "I would like to speak to you in private. It's... embarrassing," he said slowly, a weak smile touching his lips.

The CEO nodded slowly, confused, and followed his chauffeur out wordlessly, closing the door behind him.

"What's this really—"

"—They found him," Kenji said, face slack as he waited for a response.

"Wait... _what?_" The CEO asked, confused at the sudden news.

"Jou-kun's dad," Kenji clarified. "They found him."

"W... how?"

"He was trying to catch a flight out of the country on a cargo plane," he explained, a faint smile touching his lips, "but I guess he didn't count on someone taking in his boy. That cargo plane—it's from a company you bought out a few months before any of this happened, and that message you sent out to your employees to look out for him did wonders. The pilot was doing his last-minute routine check and found a man that matched Honda's description. Turned him over to on-site authorities," he explained. "I think they said they were on their way here."

"No!"

Kenji took a step back, confused.

"Katsuya can't see his father just yet; he'll cause an uproar," the CEO stated. "Even if he did have something to say to the old man, he wouldn't. He's only barely agreed to actually talk to me."

"Is that why you're in his—"

"—Yes."

Kenji sighed.

"Well what do you want me to say?" he asked, pulling out his cell.

"Don't say anything about Katsuya. Just tell them to take him to the local jail. Have him put in a separate cell." Seto replied, turning back to the door when he received a firm nod.

_I'll be having words with him as soon as possible._

* * *

Like I said, I've started the next chapter.

I think you all will enjoy what I have in store for our favorite dragons~

Stay Fabulous~! :D


	9. Desperately Finding Isamu

**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN ****_Yu-Gi-Oh!_****, its characters, plots, or anything even remotely associated with it.**

This story doesn't make references! Everyone else is just referencing me!

Enjoy~ :)

* * *

**Desperately Finding Isamu**

He was confused as he was guided into the small room, but didn't question it; he'd tried to hitch a ride out of the country, after all, but he couldn't help but wonder if there was another reason the officers they passed kept giving him such a horrible look.

"Name?"

"Jounouchi."

"_Full_ name?" the man clarified.

"Jounouchi Isamu."

There was a moment of relative silence where a thin young man opened the door and handed his interrogator a manila folder filled with papers.

"You have a history of minor crimes," the man stated simply, flipping through the pages. "It looks like theft, mostly..." he trailed.

"You have me because I was leaving the country on a cargo plane," Isamu stated, sitting in the only chair in the room.

"Yes," the officer stated, frowning at the screen.

"So what's the deal?"

"Were you ever married, Jounouchi?" the officer asked suddenly, still thumbing through the papers.

"Y-yes," the drunk answered hesitantly, utterly confused by this question. "Why..."

"Did you have any children?"

"Why do you—"

"—Answer the question, sir," the officer ordered.

Jounouchi slumped back in his seat and nodded.

"Yes."

"How many?"

"Two."

"Any boys?"

"One. What's this about?"

"Was his name Katsuya, by any chance?"

Jounouchi frowned and narrowed his eyes at the officer.

"Yes."

There was a short pause.

"Why were you on that plane?" the officer asked finally, confusing the elder Jounouchi even more.

"I don't have the money for any kind of ticket out of the country."

"Why were you leaving?"

"Is that your business?"

"You had a warrant out for your arrest. You were trying to hitch a ride out of the country on the back of a cargo plane. You are currently wanted dead or alive by a very powerful person in Domino. You are in no position to make any kind of deal with anyone, and even if you were, the question would still have to be answered. Why. Were. You. Leaving."

Jounouchi shook his head.

"Why were you chasing me?" he replied with a smirk.

There was a long pause before the chime of a bell sounded and the man dug in his pocket for his phone and flipped it open.

"Moshimo—"

"—_Kaiba-sama seems to be on edge at the moment,"_ the man on the other end, who the officer had determined to be Kenji, said, concern leaking into his voice. _"He'll probably want to see Jou-kun's dad today. I suggest you do as he says, and don't touch Jounouchi,"_ he instructed before the line went dead.

XxXxXxXxX

Seto sighed; he'd completely forgotten about the older Jounouchi, but they'd found him.

He turned the knob slowly, trying to compose himself before entering.

He didn't expect the words he heard as soon as he opened the door, but they couldn't be taken back.

"You may not get it," Katsuya began quietly, slowly bringing his gaze up to match the cerulean one across the room. "You may never get it. He's a dirt-poor excuse for a dad, but he's _my_ dad, and I love him."

Seto blanched at Katsuya's answer.

"I'm... hold on!"

Seto braced himself against the door, confused and mind reeling. Things were happening too fast for him to comprehend and keep up, and it showed.

"He wasn't always like he is..." the blonde trailed.

"Spare me the details," The CEO replied shakily, shaking his head to clear his thoughts as he carefully pushed himself upright again.

"I don't think I will," the blonde said. "You don't know him like I do."

That pushed the brunette over the edge.

"You realize that as much as you care about him, he doesn't care about you, right?" he snapped, tired of hearing about the "good" side of the elder Jounouchi that simply _didn't_ exist.

"Wrong."

"I'm sorry—excuse me?"

"He does love me, too. He just doesn't know how to deal with—"

"—Oh, he had a way to deal, alright."

"Just listen to me," the blonde tried.

Seto sighed, but relented with a slight nod.

"He did beat me for as long as I can remember, but it wasn't frequent 'til him and Mom divorced..." he paused before continuing, "I usually deserved whatever he—"

"What kid deserves to be beaten half to death, Kat—"

"—_This_ kid!" the blonde cut in, annoyed that the CEO couldn't hold his comments. He sighed. "I wasn't... I wasn't the best kid. Even when I was young, I'd get into fights. It was usually kids bullying Shizuka, but there were some people stupid enough to egg me on. I'd ignore them at first, but there was always a breaking point..."

Seto could do nothing to stop the blonde teen from reliving everything, but he didn't want to; he needed to face the monsters of his past, not push them aside.

"If I tried to explain why I fought, he'd only hit me harder..." he trailed, closing his eyes.

_Katsuya..._

"When I asked him why, he'd tell me to stop talking back to him, and... I guess that's when I stopped." he said quietly. "I didn't want to get hurt any more than I already knew I would, but when I stopped talking back to him, he'd call me a pansy and hit me harder. There was no way—"

Seto couldn't stand the calm way that Katsuya spoke, and he couldn't help but wonder: if Honda hadn't decided to call him, would Katsuya even be here?

_I doubt it._

"That didn't convince me that your father loves you," the CEO stated dully.

"Your sudden indifference doesn't convince me that you don't care," the blonde countered quietly. "You still want to hurt him."

"Yes, I do. I have a few bones to pick with him," Seto conceded, turning to face Katsuya.

"Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do I matter to you?" he clarified. "You hated me before you knew, but I'm still the same mutt now that I was when you and I first met," the blonde pointed out, falling back.

He'd wondered that himself recently, but he didn't want to dwell long enough to find an answer.

"This may come as a surprise to you, Mutt, but I do care about people," he said instead.

"You sure have a funny way of showing it," the younger teen said with a scoff.

"Well, the thing people don't get about business," the CEO began, " is that it requires a certain mind-set. Pleasure cannot be mixed with business, personal lives cannot get in the way, and people mean nothing." He sighed. "Life is lonely, but I do what I have to," he stated.

"So why am I the exception?" Katsuya asked, sitting up and turning to face his brunette companion.

"You're not the only exception," the CEO negated.

"Mokuba doesn't count," Katsuya pointed out. "He's the reason you do what you do. So I repeat: Why am I the exception?"

He didn't have an answer.

_There's just something about him..._

But of course he couldn't say what, and he couldn't say that.

Being a business man, he was quick on his feet.

"I needed a pet," he said with a smirk, ignoring the scoff the blonde let out.

"Is there anything else you wanna know?" Katsuya inquired. "I just love reliving some of my 'better' moments," he said sarcastically.

Seto ignored the last bit as he mulled over the question.

"Yeah, actually..." he began, looking up to meet Katsuya's eyes again. "How do you know Deborah? When I stepped in that night, you were unconscious when she was with you. She cares a lot about you, you know."

"Oh, Debbs?" he wondered. "I changed schools a lot—I was either in too much trouble to stay or the teachers were suspicious of my injuries. I changed into her school, and she just latched onto me. I don't know why," he replied casually, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

Seto blinked.

Was it that simple?

"There was nothing between you to make her so..."

"Clingy?" Katsuya finished, and upon receiving a nod, shook his head in the negative. "Nope. She just liked me. She's nice, but... she's not my type," he mumbled, feeling the heat creep up his neck.

The older teen smirked, but Katsuya barely noticed.

He hadn't thought much about the strange feeling he got when he thought about the CEO's kindness, but even if he did, would he still get an inkling of what it was?

_And even if I do like him,_ the blonde thought to himself, _it's not "like" like, right? I just... appreciate what he's doing, _he mused.

"How about we go see Yuugi? I think he said they were going to the park today..." the blonde tried, standing and stretching.

Seto followed suit, but slowly.

"I... have to check on something, first," he said slowly, pulling out his phone and beginning to dial the familiar number. "Jiro can take you to Yuugi's and you all can go to the park from there."

"What about you?"

"I'll meet you guys at the park. This is important," he replied, to which Katsuya simply nodded as the CEO brought his phone up to his ear and made to leave. Upon exiting, he closed the door behind him swiftly and set a fast pace for the foyer.

"_I was there not too long ago, Kaiba-sama," _Kenji's voice came through.

"Yes, but I want to see him."

"_Jou-kun's dad?"_

"Yeah. He dropped off the map before we even got there, and he suddenly shows up on one of my cargo planes? Something isn't right. Stupid as he is, he's can't be _that_ stupid," the CEO said.

"_I'll be down front in a minute. Do you want me to change, sir?"_ he asked casually, to which Kaiba let out a small bark of laughter.

"I don't think that should be your first priority at the moment," he stated dryly.

"_Knowing you..."_ the man trailed, letting his boss' mind wander to its own conclusions.

"Can it," the CEO ordered, "and hurry up," he said, clicking and stopping when he caught movement in his peripheral vision.

He looked up enough to catch a raven-haired head whip around the corner, and moved to follow it.

"Mokuba?" he called as he rounded the corner, but found someone else. "Deborah," he stated simply.

"Yeah..." she trailed quietly, not sure how to explain her reason for hiding.

Seto wasn't close to his employees—the only exception being Kenji—and learning something new from someone else's mouth always made him feel like he was imposing on their lives. He hid it well, but it didn't stop the feeling.

"The gang is going to the park today..." he trailed quietly, watching carefully for her reaction.

Her eyes lit up briefly, but she contained the joy.

"Is that an offer or a statement?" she asked dryly, shrugging and walking back around him.

"An... offer..." he trailed, again measuring her reaction.

"Where're you going?" she wondered casually.

"To take care of some business. Just promise me you won't let Katsuya do anything stupid," the brunette replied, moving back up the hall and making for the foyer once more. "Can you do that?"

He heard a faint, "Of course," but didn't quite trust her words today; she seemed off; distracted.

He made a mental note to ask Kenji about it, since he seemed to be so nucking futs about the girl.

* * *

I wasn't lying when I said I had already started this chapter, but I've been too lazy to open up Dennis until recently, and you can thank my brother for that; he showed me a new game, and I've been playing almost non-stop since I got it XD

For any YGOTAS fans: episode 58 is up. Watch it now!

/watch?v=8BHsSx9k8hk

Stay Fabulous~! :D


End file.
